With every beat
by Shinara66
Summary: Set after the events of 'Control', Callie and Arizona attempt to move forward and create their life together. When an unexpected tragedy befalls Callie, Arizona finds herself with nothing but tough choices.
1. Prologue

**-Present Day-**

"Calliope! Baby, can you hear me?"

Arizona ran alongside the gurney holding the unconscious body of her lover. She was frantic with worry as her heart's rapid beating threatened to cut off her air supply.

"You can't do this to me! Please wake up! Calliope?"

"BP is elevated, 160/110, 30 systolic. She's unstable! The baby could be in distress! Let's get her to a room!"

Dr. Miranda Bailey's clipped and authoritative tones cut into Arizona's thoughts and shattered any and all semblances of reality. How could Callie's base line blood pressure be so high? It had been elevated when she'd checked it at their home a few hours earlier, but to have raised so quickly? The new information only suffocated her all the more. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Continuing to run beside the hospital gurney with Dr. Bailey and the paramedics, Arizona's mind worked in overdrive to understand what was happening. As a doctor herself, she knew what everything meant medically. As the partner, the lover, of the woman whose life hung in the balance, she found that she couldn't make sense of anything.

"Dr. Bailey, her BP was 140/90 a few hours ago. She's been complaining of heartburn and headaches, but that's common. She had abdominal tenderness and that's when I decided to bring her in, but she...she... Did we miss something? Did I miss something?" the blonde doctor asked. Her mind was reeling. She was trying desperately to remember every minor ache, pain, or disturbance Callie had experienced the past several weeks.

Throwing open the door to an avaliable exam room, Dr. Bailey quickly started to check Callie's vital signs.

"Arizona, I'm sure you've done everything you can. This, right here, has nothing to do with anything you did or did not do. " she said curtly.

Listening to the Latina's faint pulse, she looked up with worried eyes and briefly looked at the woman standing in front of her.

"Her pulse is weak. The baby's in distress! Somebody page Dr. Montgomery. Now!"

Arizona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could barely fathom what she was seeing. Several machines that had been monitoring her lover's life signs started to beep in a cacophonous symphony of dire consequences.

"She's coding! Where is Dr. Montgomery?" Bailey yelled. Seeing the scared and lost expression in the blue eyes of her colleague, Miranda continued. "You need to leave, Dr. Robbins. You can't be in here. You know that. Go! I'll take care of them."

"Calliope! You listen to me! This isn't how things are supposed to be for us! You're a rockstar and you're going to be an amazing mother! Don't let this win..."

"What do we got?" a new voice sliced through the chaos of the room.

Miranda glanced up and a wave of relief washed over her face. Addison Montgomery was standing behind Arizona and pushing past her to read Callie's stats from the machine above her head.

"BP is 160/110. It's elevated from 140/90. Pulse is weak. Baby is showing increased heart rate. Pittng edema in the hands."

"She's pre-eclamptic." Addison said. "Let's push one of magnesium sulfate to stabilize her. We can give her steroid injections to promote the baby's lung maturation once she's no longer critical."

Everything was a haze of confusion. Nurses and orderlies were running in and out of the room. Machines were screaming loudly at anyone who would listen. Dr. Bailey and Dr. Montgomery were running their hands and several instruments over Callie's body while, at the same time, continuing to check her and her unborn child's vitals.

" Dr. Montgomery? She's bleeding vaginally. The baby's isn't receiving enough oxygen."

"No, no, no...this...no. Do something!" Arizona yelled.

No one was doing anything! Everyone was content to just stand around and swap Callie's and their baby's vital signs around. Callie was bleeding, her pulse was weakening, her BP was through the roof and their child wasn't receiving enough oxygen and what were they doing? Nothing!

If Callie was pre-eclamptic and was now losing blood, everything pointed to just one thing. Arizona felt her heart stop beating in her chest. This couldn't be happening to them. Life couldn't be taking away everything it had bestowed upon them. It couldn't. She'd risked everything to be with Calliope Torres. Everything. They were supposed to be happy. Their life was supposed to be perfect.

"Get her out of here!" Addison yelled.

Arizona felt her body being removed from the room but she fought against the hands on her shoulders. She couldn't leave them. She wouldn't.

"I can help! Let me help you save her! Please! Addison! Don't let her die...please! I can help...I can...Calliope!"

The blonde's words came out in a rush of air and tears. Her breathing was choking off the larger parts of her sentences and her tears were making it difficult to keep her eyes on the woman she loved. When she'd been removed from the room, her body slid to the floor. Before the door fully closed, she heard Addison speaking to Dr. Bailey.

"...placental abruption. We need to try to stabalize them if we're going to have any chance of saving them both."


	2. Chapter 1

**-15 months ago-**

"I'm so glad I come from money." Callie said looking around her living room.

A single stair allowed her to step down into the sunken formal living area. The walls were moire silk-covered with huge bay windows overlooking the front yard. Dentil moldings completed the wall's ornamentation and met the finished stained cherry wood flooring. Curtains hung atop the wide, bright windows allowing the sun's light to stream into the room.

In front of the largest set of windows was a tan colored high backed couch with deep arm rests and several plush throw pillows. Two elegantly crafted wooden end-tables sat on either side of the seating arrangement and each held a white table lamp with intricately painted blue birds of paradise.

Hanging on the wall behind the couch, a large, light-framed picture showcased a beautiful depiction of tropical flowers in vivid colors on a brown backdrop.

Callie smiled widely as she continued to trace her eyes over the finished product of her and her partner's hard work. Seeing the comfortable couch to her left, she cut her gaze to the middle of the room and took in the craftsmanship of the table sitting in front of the couch. Dark, polished wood sat atop a cream colored iron cast bottom with an interwoven display of artisanship.

Beneath the table, a huge dark rug with light trim and circular designs hugged the floor and stretched to the edge of the small love seat sitting to the left of the couch. The same high back and deep arm rests matched the love seat to the larger couch. Two wall lamps hung on the walls behind the love seat in deeper recesses and gave a soft, warm light to the small ornamental tables beneath them. Several nick-knacks decorated the surfaces of the tabletop and their soft shadows added extra dimension to the room.

Allowing the light to bathe her in its warm glow, Callie looked, finally, to her right where the windows afforded her with an unparalleled view of the world outside.

Two white trimmed chairs with cushions that matched the floor rug's patterns sat on either side of a single light brown table. The light from the bay windows danced across the surface of the table and gave the lamp sitting atop it an ethereal glow.

The room was beautiful. An open archway behind the love seat, and between the two wall lamps led to the dining room and Callie could just make out the table and chairs inside. She knew that, beyond the archway, the dining room was enhanced by a chair rail, picture frame moldings, brass and crystal chandelier, and the same stained cherrywood flooring as was in the living room.

Arizona had wanted a large rubber-tree plant in the left corner of the room and it now sat next to the double windows that overlooked the front yard, as did the bay windows in the living room.

The two of them had spared no expenses when they'd finally closed the deal on the house. It had taken longer than Callie had expected. A month after the two of them had decided to move into the house, they'd finally closed on it and it had then taken another two months for she and Arizona to move, decorate and eventually make the house feel like a home.

"I'm glad you come from money, too. It made all this go a lot faster." Arizona said, coming up behind her. Her tone was playful and it caused Callie to smile.

"God, Ari...we did it. No more movers, no more shopping, no more anything. It's ours and it's complete."

Arizona wrapped her arms around her waist from behind and placed her chin on her shoulder blade. Breathing in the scent of the taller woman, the blonde tightened her hold around her middle and smiled.

"It feels like a fairytale. I can't believe I've finally gotten you all to myself."

"It is a fairytale, Ari. You're Tinkerbell, though."

Pulling back to look at Callie's face, Arizona's brow lowered in playful confusion. Callie turned around slightly so she could better see her lover's expression and smiled.

"What? You would be Tinkerbell. You'd be all fluff and glitter and wing-y."

Arizona laughed softly, "Wing-y? Well, who would you be?"

Callie smiled at the absurdity of their conversation. Here they were, two successful surgeons standing in the opulent living room of their new home discussing the finer points of fictitious fairies.

God, she loved Arizona Robbins.

"Me? Easy, I'd be Silvermist." she replied in a tone that told the blonde she should have already possessed the information.

"Silvermist? I would have picked Fawn or Vidia. She's all dark and sex appeal-y."

"Sex appeal? Did you really just say that a Disney fairy has sex appeal?"

Callie turned around fully and encircled the smaller woman in her arms. She felt Arizona's hands on her chest and it instantly warmed her heart. The blonde was smirking at her and her dimples were taking over her face.

"Well, if you were Vidia, you'd definitely be nothing but sex appeal. It wraps itself around you and you wear it so well."

Feeling the pace of her heart rate increase, Callie rubbed gentle circles along Arizona's lower back. The blonde was playing with her hair and smiling at her with adoration.

"Hmm, well, I guess I'll have to be Vidia then, won't I? Since I wear all that sex appeal so well."

Arizona leaned closer to her and got within an inch of her lips. Her breath was warm and sent shivers down the Latina's body that settled somewhere below her waistline.

"You know what else you wear really well, Calliope?" the blonde whispered in a low voice.

Leaning into the smaller body in her arms, Callie lowered her eyes and they fell on her lover's lips.

"Hmm?" was all she managed to get out.

The blue-eyed woman trailed her fingers up Callie's chest and neck and tangled themselves in thick dark hair. Nails lightly scratched along a scalp and the sensation left the Mexican woman feeling weak in her knees.

"Your birthday suit." a soft voice breathed against her mouth.

**-Present Day-**

"Arizona? I heard you had to bring Callie in. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Arizona blinked and lifted her head from her hands. Turning her head to the sound of her friend's voice, she met her greenish-hazel eyes and felt her reserve crumbling.

"Teddy...they won't let me help. She was coding...she was losing blood...th-they wouldn't let me help."

Her voice was small and weak. Teddy looked stricken at the blonde's words and sat down next to her. Wrapping an arm around her friend's slender shoulders, she tugged her body closer to her own and tried to offer what little comfort she could.

"Arizona, she'll be okay. They'll save them. Just give them the time to do so."

Releasing a shuddering breath, the smaller woman sniffled and felt her tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"I can't lose them, Teddy. I can't lose another child." she said softly.

Teddy replayed the last sentence in her mind before finally convincing herself that she'd heard it correctly. Another child? What was Arizona talking about? This was Callie's first pregnancy, wasn't it?

Deciding to let the comment slide, Teddy kissed the side of the blonde's head and patted her leg.

"You want me to go and get an update for you? I'll jump in if I think they could use my help." she asked.

Arizona nodded her head slightly and dropped her head back into her hands. A moment later, she felt Teddy's warmth leave her body as the other woman made her way to Callie's exam room.

She couldn't lose them. She wouldn't be able to live again if something happened to Calliope. Even if her partner survived, she didn't think she would ever be whole if they lost this child. This child was their miracle. Her conception had been risky and the procedure they'd chosen had carried with it it's own risks. They'd gotten the nursery ready months ago and had already picked out a name.

No, she couldn't lose them. Not Calliope. Not their daughter.


	3. Chapter 2

**-Present Day-**

"Torres? You listen to me! _You_ do _not _get to do this! You hear me? I've already lost two of my interns. Two! I will _not _let _you_ do _this_! I'm not losing a friend. So, suck it up Torres. You don't get to do this. Not to me!"

Bailey's words were spoken forcefully as she and Addison worked in tandem to stabilize their patient. Her friend. Their friend.

"Hang another liter!" Addison ordered a nurse. "She's losing too much blood. The baby is in distress. If we can't get her stabilized..." The tall red head let her words trail off as her green eyes met the wide brown orbs of the doctor across from her.

_"Necesito...Necesito.."_

Both women looked down at the woman lying before them. Callie's eyes were half open and her speech was slow and nearly silent.

"Torres? It's Miranda. You straighten up! You hear me? Callie?"

"Baby's heart rate is still increasing. We need to deliver her soon or..." Addison's voice did little to filter into Dr. Bailey's thoughts. Her complete attention was on the woman whispering in the exam room.

_"Necesito...verla...por favor..."_

"Torres? What is it? We're not all bilingual like you. Keep fighting! Don't you dare check out on me! Keep talking, Torres. Preferably _in_ English!

"BP is dropping, but it's still too high. We don't have time for this, Miranda. I need to deliver the baby...soon."

_""Traer le...traer le..._

"Make the damn time! She's talking! I'm not ready to live with the consequences of _your _decision, Dr. Montgomery. We can stabilize them both. _That's_ what we're gonna do!"

Miranda's eyes stared daggers at her ex-colleague. She knew Addison was just as upset about the state of things as she was. Addison and Callie had become steadfast friends over the years and she knew the red headed woman was most likely crumbling underneath her cool facade.

"Hang more fluids." the neonatal surgeon said, her green eyes still locked with Bailey's.

"Callie? It's Addison. Who do you need us bring? Who do you need to see?"

Bailey wrinkled her nose at the taller woman and gave her a look of perplexity. Upon seeing the face she was receiving, Addison said, "What? I live in California. We get Spanish speaking patients all the time." Her right eyebrow raised in a high arc and for a moment, the situation seemed less dire than it had a moment before.

Focusing her attention, once again on her friend, Addison leaned down so she could hear Callie more clearly. Her shallow breathing made the surgeon's heart fall. For long minutes, she stayed leaned over the Latina, anxiously awaiting an answer to her question. Every minute that passed was a minute stolen for the life within her friend.

"Callie? Answer me, sweet heart. Callie?" she whispered.

Miranda felt tears fighting her for their release. The machines around her were a constant reminder of what was happening to her fellow attending. Their beeps and readings were unforgiving.

Standing back to her full height, Addison looked up at Dr. Bailey and frowned.

"I need to deliver the baby, Miranda. The longer we fight this, the less chance she has."

The shorter doctor met her eyes and shook her head sadly.

"Get an O.R. ready. Tell them we're-"

Addison's words were cut short when a hand weakly grabbed the front of her scrubs. Looking down, she met Callie's dark eyes. Residing in those brown pools, the red head could see pleading mixed with fear.

"Callie?"

"Torres?"

Both her voice and Dr. Bailey's mixed together to create an ensemble of quickly sung hope.

"What is it, Callie? Stay awake for me." Addison said slowly.

_"Por favor..._I need to see her..."

Addison looked stricken. Her heart was pounding so loudly it was giving her a headache. She didn't want to lose her best friend, but her skills as a surgeon, a doctor, were telling her that she needed to deliver the baby. Everything was spinning out of her control and, despite her adeptness, she couldn't seem to get ahead of matters.

Was Callie asking to see her daughter? Did she want Addison to ensure that she at least met the new addition to the world? Was it Arizona she was asking for?

Sighing, she glanced up to find Miranda looking at her expectantly. They didn't have time for this. But...damnit! This was her friend! Callie was begging her for this one thing. This...last thing. She had to acquiesce.

Bringing her green eyes back to the deep brown of her friend, Addison attempted a smile and asked, "Who, Callie?"

_"Mi...mariposa...mariposa...mi...necesito mi mariposa."_ Callie's words were slow, and lacked her usual rich tones. Despite that, a small smile graced her full lips as she continued to speak haltingly.

"What did she say? Addison?" Miranda's question was loud and harsh. Her panic was evident. Looking past the red head, she saw Teddy Altman enter the room. The heart surgeon's eyes widened and she nearly fell against the door when she saw Callie.

"Oh my God." was all she managed to get out.

Addison spared her a quick glance over her shoulder and turned back to Bailey.

"I think she's delirious. She's asking for a butterfly. We need to get to the O.R."

Dr. Bailey held her eyes for a moment and looked back down at Callie who was still half conscious and clinging to Addison's scrubs.

"Look, I'm not exactly fluent in Spanish, okay? Either I misunderstood or she's...it doesn't matter. We've delayed this long enough. We're going. Now!" the taller woman said, a finality hanging to her words.

"Wait!"

Addison and Bailey turned to the sound of the demand. Teddy had gotten a hold of her senses and was entering the room more fully. Meeting Addison's glare, she smiled weakly and said, "It's Arizona. Sh-she's asking for Arizona."

**-14 months ago-**

"A dinner party?"

"Sure, why not. We've gotten established here. We're no longer worried with movers or decorators or pool inspectors. Let's have a dinner party. We can invite our friends and show off our new home. It'll be fun." Arizona said with a smile.

Callie stood behind the counter in their spacious kitchen slicing several varieties of fruit for their breakfast. Like the rest of their house, they'd spared no expenses on it's decorations.

Two large glass sliding doors opened up to the backyard and bathed the room in natural light. The kitchen came complete with corian counter tops, abundant cabinet and food storing space, a dishwasher, trash compactor, a self cleaning oven and a computer-networked planning desk.

A single stool sat at the end of the counter offering Arizona a place to sit as she watched Callie in the kitchen. The microwave, stove and oven all sat behind the counter that met the wall and created a cozy cooking nook.

In front of the counter, a hardwood light brown table sat, complete with seating for five. On its top, a thin table cloth ran down it's center with a wicker basket in the center of the table. In the basket, several different fruits sat comfortably taking in the light afforded to them by the outside.

To the table's right, and directly behind the stool at the end of the counter, a large black refrigerator hugged the wall. It's ebony shine was a beautiful contrast to the cream colored tile it sat upon. Matching the tile were the cushions in the bottoms of the low back chairs at the table.

A single, waist-high partition separated the kitchen from the adjoining family room.

"Hmm, sure. I guess so. We'd have to plan for it so everyone could work around their schedules, but yeah. It could be fun." Callie said as she thought the idea over in her head.

Bouncing in the stool she sat in, the blonde's curls shaded her face and she said, "Super! This is going to be so much fun. Now, who do we want to cater?"

A far away look crept onto Arizona's face while she pondered her own question.

"Cater? Are you serious? You live with me, _mariposa_. I think we've spent enough money lately. I'll cook. Lexie isn't half bad in the kitchen. She could help."

"Hey! I can help!" Arizona interjected looking slightly put off.

Callie stopped slicing the fruit in front of her and leaned over to place a quick kiss on her fiance's pouty lips. Smiling as she pulled back, she remained close enough to touch the other woman.

"We want this thing to be a success, honey. You can worry about entertaining everyone. I'll worry about feeding them, okay?"

Arizona nodded her head, but continued to pout. She wasn't really upset about Callie's words but she did rather enjoy the attention she received from said pouting.

The Latina continued to smile at her before reaching down and grabbing a slice of melon from the cutting board before her. Bringing it the blonde's lips, she raised her eyebrows playfully.

"Truce?" she said in a small voice.

The blonde's face finally broke out into a full smile. Her dimples appeared almost instantly and the pout she'd tried to hang on to all but disappeared. Parting her lips, she held Callie's eyes while the other woman placed the sweet piece of fruit in her mouth.

Allowing her tongue to tease the raven haired woman's fingertips, Arizona moaned appreciatively when the sweetness from the melon invaded her senses.

Kissing Callie's fingers when the other woman pulled her hand away, the blue eyed woman said, "Hmm, that's good. Why don't we eat it in bed together?"

Snorting her laughter but continuing to slice the fruit in front of her, Callie replied, without looking up to meet her partner's eyes, "We _do_ eat it in bed together..."

"Calliope Torres! You dirty sex-fiend, you!" Arizona said in overly dramatic tones. Her right hand was across her chest in a classic 'Oh my' gesture.

Callie laughed fully at the display and turned to the sink behind her to wash her hands. Grabbing two plates from the lightly colored wooden cabinet to her left, she returned her attention to the blonde.

"Are you saying you don't want to have dirty sex with me anymore? Because I love eating it in bed together..." she said, placing different types of fruit on both of their plates.

Arizona laughed and reached across the counter to place her hand on Callie's wrist. When the taller woman met her eyes, she smiled sweetly.

"I love you." she said softly.

"I love you, too, _Mariposa_."

**-Present Day-**

Arizona toyed with the ring on her finger while her eyes stared blankly ahead at a spot on the hated this. The waiting. The not being able to help. The not knowing.

Around her, the once comforting sounds of the hospital now threatened to suffocate her. A familiar feeling was creeping up her spine and trying desperately to get her attention. She'd experienced the disconcerting feeling only once before. It's unknown origins whispering their painful jabs to her soul was causing her throat to constrict.

Yes, she'd experienced this feeling before. The day Hannah had died. She'd ignored it then and told herself that everything was okay. But, that had been a sweet lie she'd convinced herself was true. Things had not been okay that day. Her daughter had died that day and where had she been? Out getting fresh air and a cheap cup of coffee.

No, she couldn't be away this time. If the feeling she was experiencing was to be believed, then things were about to take a drastic turn for the worse. She wouldn't sit by and miss her chance at saying goodbye. She wouldn't allow others to save the ones she loved. Not again.

Standing from her seat suddenly, she squared her shoulders and turned in the direction of the room she knew Callie to be in.

No sooner was she on her feet when Teddy appeared in her line of vision. Her face was sunken and her features spoke of fear and desperate choices.

"Teddy...is she-no...is she okay?" Arizona spoke past the lump rising in her throat. She didn't know what to make of the look Teddy was giving her.

"Are they okay?" she asked, coming to stand in front of the other blonde woman.

Teddy looked at her sadly and sighed before answering. Her friend's pained expression and frightened tones were so unlike her, Teddy barely recognized her.

"Sh-she's asking for you, Arizona."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**-14 months ago-**

"Is there going to be alcohol?" a dry cut and very bored sounding voice asked.

Eyebrows lowering to accommodate her incredulous smirk, Callie slowly replied, "Um...yeah. Of course."

Cristina Yang pursed her lips, but otherwise her face remained impassive. Shrugging her slim shoulders, she tossed her head to the side and regarded her ex roommate.

"Sure, I'll come with Mer, but just because I'm celebrating you finally leaving my apartment."

The young Asian resident's pager sounded loudly before Callie could reply and, without saying anything more to her, she turned on her heel and quickly left.

Callie looked down the hall for a moment in stunned confusion. Yang was always so...dark and twisty. Shaking her head, a soft laugh left her lips.

'_A dinner party, she said. It'll be fun, she said!' _Scoffing, the tall Latina's thoughts carried her towards the elevator. Stepping inside, she found herself hoping that inviting the Twisted Sisters wouldn't prove to be a mistake.

* * *

"Teddy! You have to come! It won't be a dinner party if you're not there!"

Teddy Altman scoffed at her friend's pathetic whining and choked back a laugh rising in her chest. Flipping through a chart, she looked it over before scribbling several notes into its contents.

"How is it not a dinner party if I'm not there?" she asked, eyes still focused on the chart in her hands.

Arizona shoved her hands into her white jacket and bounced on the balls of her feet. Smiling her most endearing smile, dimples included, she replied, "Because! Think of this as...girl's night! It wouldn't have been as fun if you'd not come!"

"Arizona, you forced me to go to girl's night. I didn't really have a choice in the matter." Teddy said quickly. Closing the chart she'd been updating, she set it aside and reached for another. She enjoyed teasing the other blonde. Arizona was always so animated and listening to her come up with counterpoints to her arguments was always so much fun.

"You had fun, though, Teddy! Aren't you glad I made you be my friend?"

Smiling into the chart she'd grabbed, the taller woman sighed and looked up to meet her friend's blue eyes. "I'm questioning that right now."

"Teddy!" Arizona said, her voice raising an octave.

Deciding she'd had her fun for the morning, the slender heart surgeon laughed and pushed her patient's file away from her.

"Relax, Arizona. I was going to come from the start. I just like getting a rise out of you."

Arizona bit the inside of her cheek and lowered her eyebrows at her friend. Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied the hazel eyed woman for a moment.

"Really?" she asked. "You'll come?"

"Yes. In fact, I would have been offended if you didn't ask me! But, really? How does Callie put up with you? You're like a...butterfly on speed sometimes."

Both women laughed and bumped shoulders. Over the past several months, the two of them had become extremely close. Often times, Arizona found herself eating lunch with the cardiothorasic surgeon if Callie was tied up in surgery. If late nights visited her, the blonde knew she could always rely on Teddy to keep her company.

It had taken the ex-army doctor longer to open up to Arizona, but once she had done so, it had only deepened the bond between them. They made sure to get together after work as often as possible and go for jogs in the park when both of their schedules allowed.

Teddy had proven to be an immense help to Arizona when it had come to decorating her new home. She'd offered ideas, themes, and color and pattern suggestions; as well as helping the two of them with the mundane tasks of packing and unpacking.

"You know, it's funny that you should mention a butterfly." Arizona said leaning her elbows against the nurses stations.

Teddy opened her chart back up and clicked her pen. Raising an eyebrow at her friend, she implored her to elaborate.

Arizona smiled and a dreamy expression overcame her face.

"Well, Callie has this name for me..."

* * *

"Okay, so Cristina and Meredith are definitely a go." Callie said before taking a long drink from the soda in her hands. Placing the the drink on the table in front of her, she glanced to her left and watched her girlfriend.

Arizona's brow was furrowed in thought as she bit the tip of a hot pink pen. Her eyes were locked with the crossword puzzle in her hands and Callie never thought she looked any cuter.

"I swear, these things are so simple. _'A six letter word for a hardy companion?_' Seriously? Oh, or this one: _'Major blood carrier?'_. I don't know why I do these." Sighing and tossing the paper in front of her, she met Callie's eyes.

"What?"

Callie laughed and grabbed the blonde's hand. "Are you even listening to me?"

Squeezing the fingers locked with her own, Arizona smiled shyly and replied, "Of course I am, Calliope. Was there ever any doubt that Yang and Grey would come? They'd go anywhere there's free boos."

The raven haired woman nodded her agreement and picked up the crossword puzzle her partner had discarded.

"Hmm, a hardy companion? Easy. That's you." Snatching the pen from Arizona's hand, Callie carefully wrote the word 'friend' in the tiny boxes provided. "I'm not even touching the 'major blood carrier' clue. Anybody who's anybody knows that one."

Arizona smiled while she continued to watch her fiance. The other woman had never been a fan of crosswords, but she'd slowly started to see the appeal they held for the blonde the longer they were together. Watching Callie now, her deep eyes reading the other clues to the puzzle, Arizona felt her heart skip a beat at the simple happiness she experienced.

"Here's a good one." Callie's voice jolted the peds surgeon from her reverie. " _'Words from the bride and groom.'_ "

Brown eyes met sky blue and the two lovers smiled silly smiles at one another. In unison, both women whispered the answer.

"I do"

**-Present Day-**

"Please...I need to see her...A-Addie..._necesito ver mi mariposa."_

"Callie, listen to me. You've suffered a placental abruption. The baby is being deprived of oxygen and you're losing a lot of blood. I need to get you to an O.R. Now! We can still try for a vaginal birth, but we can't postpone this any longer. You're both in danger. Do you understand?"

Addsion's normally sultry and honey coated voice was laced with panic and desperation. She needed Callie to understand the risks. Delaying her child's birth was putting them both in substantial danger.

Teddy had left just moments before to retrieve Arizona but the waiting felt like an eternity.

"Contractions are continuing to get closer together. Lasting 30-60 seconds each." Miranda Bailey's voice caused Addison's eyes to close.

"I don't...feel...anything...I'm..._sin dolor." _ Callie continued to speak in slow, slurred and deliberate tones. Her eyes fluttered closed periodically displaying her attempts to hang on to her own coveted consciousness.

Addison released a breath that had been threatening to explode inside her chest and hung her head. She felt a hot wetness on her cheeks that burned itself in deep tracks down her face.

Tears.

Grabbing Callie's hand and lacing their fingers, the red head sniffed back the larger part of her emotional display.

"Callie, you're in shock, honey. That's why you can't feel the contractions. Let me deliver the baby, Cal. You can see Arizona shortly, okay?"

Normally, Addison would never hesitate to make the right decisions. The right calls. She was always sure of herself and of her skills as a doctor, a surgeon. Everything in her was telling her to ignore Callie's request and immediately get them to an O.R so she could deliver the baby and, hopefully, stabilize her friend.

Hearing Callie's voice, her soft pleas, halted every medical compulsion Addison possessed. Something inside her fought with her rational side and demanded that she do as her friend requested.

Callie's eyes opened wider for a moment and it was obvious to the neonatal surgeon that she was expending tremendous effort to focus her thoughts.

"My...baby is...in danger? Arizona's _mija...no, no...no vuelva a..._" the Latina's voice trailed off as her eyes rolled into her head. Her mouth twitched suddenly and before Dr. Montgomery or Dr. Bailey could respond, her entire body went rigid.

"Damn it! She's eclamptic! I waited too long! The baby is bradycardic."

The room was suddenly bustling with activity again. Both doctors and nurses worked to get the situation under control. Machines beeped and rang out loudly while their tones did little to lessen the anxiety that hung in the air.

"She's cyanotic!" Addison yelled over the fray of sounds. "Get an O.R ready. Now! Tell them we're on our way up! Go!" she screamed to a nurse in a hurried voice.

Bailey adjusted the gurney and the machines connected to it and looked down at Callie.

"I told you that you weren't doing this to me, Torres. Stay with us...stay with us." she said softly.

Her attention focused back on Addison and the two of them locked eyes. "Let's move her, people! Let's go!"

The door opened for them and they pushed the bed holding their fellow doctor into the hallway. Once the gurney had cleared the room, they saw Teddy approaching with Arizona in tow.

"Calliope! Oh God...Calliope!"


	5. Chapter 4

_"Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires."_

_**-Francois de La Rochefoucauld **_

_**Love was a multi-faceted phenomenon. It manifested itself in a variety of ways. From lust fueled by passion to tenderness spurred by gentle caresses, love was the driving force of the universe;the one solidifying enigma that brought and bound two people together.**_

_**Callie had been amazed at the many and, often varying, emotions she experienced when in Arizona's presence. She had always been of a sound belief that love was an emotion unto itself. It was a simplicity. Everything that brought a person to its glorious sensations was the hard part. So she had thought.**_

_**Shortly after becoming involved with the perky, young peds surgeon, Callie had come to realize that love was far more complicated than she had originally surmised. It was a complexity of paradoxical proportions. Love was the center, the basis, for every other emotion humans could possibly ever experience.**_

_**It was joy and peace. It was anger and confusion. It was grounding yet liberating. Love was the violent force behind pain and hate. It allowed people to become swept up in its life giving air, its freedom, but at the same time fueled crimes of passion and suffocated those without.**_

_**Love was the one thing every being on the planet strove for but few understood. It was life and it was death. With it, love allowed people to be greater than just the sum of their parts. Love paved the way for sacrifices and understanding. It pressed its captives to higher and higher limits. It was yang.**_

_**What brought people together also carried with it the power to destroy. To change. To alter. To bring about the death of. Love, when twisted and abused, had the ability to bring about loathing. It held within itself the power to evoke the darkest and most negative emotions imaginable. Betrayal, hatred, anger, bitterness, self doubt. It was yin.**_

_**Yin and Yang. Negative and Positive. Death and Life. Love was the single most misunderstood emotion in the world. Callie had found that conclusion to be extremely odd since love was responsible for every other feeling in the human spectrum of emotional discovery.**_

_**To her, love had not been true and real before Arizona Robbins. She'd not been allowed to fully experience the emotion in its entirety until a certain blonde with bouncy curls had followed her to a dirty bathroom at her favorite bar.**_

_**Love, when nurtured and cared for, had the potential to bloom within the hearts and souls of those it coursed through. It became more important, more vital, than any other basic human need. Callie had known since she'd first laid eyes on the pediatric surgeon that she was to be her great love. Her need. Her passion.**_

_**Her job, her welfare, her home all meant nothing if she didn't have the other half to her yin. Her yang. Together, they were one. They were harmony. They were balance**_.

**-14 months ago-**

Her back hit the wall with a forceful thud. Gripping nothing but air in her frantic attempt to remain upright, Callie's hands braced themselves on the support behind her. The towel that she'd wrapped around herself only moments before was now being stripped from her body and a hot, painfully wet, tongue was sliding over her newly exposed skin.

"I want you..." Arizona breathed against her lips before attaching her mouth to her neck. Sucking her pulse point strongly enough to cause Callie to cry out, the blonde moved her hands over her lover's form.

Callie threw her head back against the wall and released a heavy breath. Her eyes focused on the ceiling before the sensations ravishing her body caused them to close. This was becoming less and less of a rare occurrence. Since the two of them had moved into their new home, and especially since the hassles of becoming settled had passed, Callie often found herself being taken whenever the blonde had a mind to do so.

Arizona had expressed early on that it was nice being able to make love to her anytime she wanted where ever she wanted. Not having to worry about Cristina or Owen had only liberated the sexual side of her fiance all the more.

Standing now, as she was, with her back against the wall of her bedroom, she had to agree with Arizona. The freedom was unprecedented to her.

"Ari...we have guests arriving shortly." she panted heavily.

The smaller woman had assaulted her shortly after she'd emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was still soaking wet and her body was still damp and warm from her shower. Obviously, those things only increased the lust her partner felt for her.

Arizona dragged her tongue up her neck and across the underside of her jaw. Nipping her briefly, she continued her tongue's journey and licked a path to Callie's ear.

"This won't take long, baby." To accentuate her words, the blonde took Callie's ear lobe between her teeth and pulled slightly.

The gesture increased Callie's heart rate and her breathing sped up to accommodate. She could feel her arousal spreading down her thighs as well as Arizona's fingers on her stomach.

"I can make this quick, if you want me to." a voice whispered hotly in her ear.

The hand on her stomach moved without warning and Callie immediately felt the blonde's fingers running through her folds. She brought her own hands up and tangled them harshly into golden curls. Grasping the back of the smaller woman's neck, the dark skinned latina moaned against her ear.

"Ari..."

Arizona pushed her fingers into her suddenly and started a quick rhythm. Her body easily allowed the welcomed intrusion and her hips surged forward to meet the fingers inside her.

"How fast do you want this to go, Calliope?" Arizona pulled back and looked at her. Her face with flush with her efforts and her eyes were a smoky shade of blue.

Callie opened her mouth to speak, but a hedonistic moan overtook her. She lowered her already half-lidded eyes and leaned her head against the blonde's. Her hips continued to pick up their pace and the fingers she had in Arizona's hair were becoming more urgent.

"That fast, huh? We can do that." the blue woman said in confident tones.

Pushing against Callie's body, she curled her fingers and hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her lover.

The raven haired woman gasped unevenly and a deep, guttural moan ground its way up her throat.

"Oh God...right there, Ari. Right there."

Callie lifted her right leg and wrapped it against the blonde's left hip. Pulling her closer, she thrust her hips forward in a frenzied haze. Arizona had discovered something new about her partner. Though the two of them had made love several times and tried their fair share of sexual positions, there was always the chance of discovering something accidentally with any sexual exploration.

Callie's breathing was unlike anything the blonde had heard before. She was between gasping and panting and past moaning and crying. Whatever the latina was experiencing, it was too much for her to display with just one visual or audible cue.

The entire encounter was making Arizona extremely wet. What had started out as simple afternoon sex against a wall was quickly elevating to a new plane of human sensation.

Callie bit down on her shoulder and the sharp sting of teeth caused tears to well up in blue eyes.

Moving her fingers again, Arizona attempted to find the spot that had so enthralled her lover.

"No...no..." Callie breathed against the skin of her neck. The smaller woman felt a hand sliding down their bodies and a moment later, that hand was wrapped around her wrist.

Callie pulled away from her slightly and peered down into her face. Adjusting the blonde's fingers as best as she could, she attempted to find the elusive spot Arizona had touched.

Moving her hips in an effort to help her girlfriend's questing fingers, the latina was rewarded when she felt them come into contact with what she craved so desperately.

"There...there..._Dios mío..."_

Callie's lips pulled back against her teeth and she scrunched her eyebrows. She'd never felt anything like what she was feeling now. The sensation felt so amazing it was almost painful. She wasn't sure if she should be begging for more or crying for it to end.

Arizona's soft fingers were continuing to rub across the spot she'd, before today, not even known existed.

"You're gorgeous, Calliope." a ragged breath washed across her face. Tender lips placed light kisses on her nose and cheeks and the differences in the sensations caused Callie to lose her breath.

Feeling Arizona's fingers deep inside her body and the gentle and loving way she kissed her was as different as night and day. It was all she needed. Her orgasm started at the base of her skull and manifested itself in the form of a tingling sensation throughout the rest of her body.

She felt her walls start to tighten around her lover's fingers and it was all she could do to hold on to her higher brain functions. The moment seemed to stretch for an unnatural amount of time.

Arizona grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head to the side. Dragging her tongue up the left side of her neck, her mouth came to rest by the latina's ear.

"You can scream for me, you know? No one will hear you, Calliope..."

Acting, as if to ensure her desired outcome, the blonde fiercely rubbed the spot she'd found and a very short time afterward, Callie came. Hard.

Her leg, wrapped tightly around the smaller woman's hip, flexed responsively and held the slender figure against her. She wasn't sure if she remained upright or if, somehow, Arizona was keeping her against the wall. All she knew was that her blood was racing through her body and pounding in waves throughout her skull. The darkest black she'd ever known settled behind her eyes and she felt a raw scream free itself from her throat.

The sound of her release was lessened in her own ears due to the thrashing beat of her heart. Her eyes were squeezed shut so tightly, she knew a headache awaited her if she opened them.

Never in her life had she experienced something so pure, so unscrupulous, so all consuming. She wasn't sure where she was or how she'd gotten there. The orgasm lasted and pushed her to experience everything it had to offer her.

She was vaguely aware of Arizona's body against her own and knowing the other woman was the cause of her current state stole her breath away. It was right. It was true. It was the physical manifestation of love. Their love.

When she came back to her senses, she found her leg still draped across the blonde's hip. Her body was slack against the wall and Arizona's head was leaning on her chest. The smaller woman was kissing her chest where her heart was beating frantically.

Blinking back her tears, Callie used her overworked muscles to squeeze the fingers still trapped within her body.

The gesture caused her partner's head to quickly leave her chest and look at her in utter surprise.

"Calliope, that feels amazing." she said, kissing her lips softly. "You're amazing. I've never seen you like that. It took my breath away."

The dark haired woman was too spent to offer a reply. Her throat was sore from screaming the blonde's name and her body had never felt more exhausted. She slowly lowered her right leg to the floor and leaned against the wall.

Arizona attempted to remove her fingers, but a quick tightening of muscles kept them in place.

"Calliope, not that what you're doing isn't insanely hot, but we _do _need to get ready before everyone arrives."

She was stunned that the other woman was able to control certain parts of her anatomy like she was, especially after she'd just experienced the world's best orgasm. The blonde's hand was starting to cramp from it's continual exposure to an odd angle. Her fingers were still surrounded by Callie's sex, but the wetness they'd been in earlier was quickly dissipating.

Callie opened her eyes fully and allowed them to settle on her fiance. A lazy smile spread across her face and she relaxed strenuously exercised walls. Arizona slowly, but gently, removed her fingers from inside her girlfriend and sagged against her body.

"That was awesome." she said softly into Callie's hair.

The Mexican woman nodded her head and wrapped her arms around her partner before sliding their bodies to the floor.

"Promise me you'll make love to me like that years from now when all the newness has worn off." Callie whispered to her in a ragged breath.

Arizona turned her head so she could stare into the other woman's face and said, "The newness will never wear off. I'll make love to you any way you want me to for the rest of my life."

Callie laughed and the sound of it vibrated against the blonde's body. Dark, wet hair clung to the sides of Callie's neck and the scent of her previous orgasm mixed with her body wash. Arizona felt herself entering a daze the longer she was near her.

"You promise?" the taller woman asked.

Kissing her on her full lips, Arizona held her chin with her hand and smiled.

"I promise. Now, you have got to explain to me how I never knew you possessed certain abilities."

Callie opened an eye and looked at her lover. Breathing deeply still, she questioned the other woman's statement.

"What abilities?"

"The kind that involve keeping my fingers where you want them..." the blonde responded quickly.

Before Callie could give her an answer, the sound of the door bell ringing brought them back to the real world.

"Shit. I told you this would happen." Callie said standing up. The act left Arizona alone on the floor, but with a fairly wonderful view of her very naked partner.

"Oh, forgive me, Calliope. I gave you an earth shattering orgasm and now our guests have to wait to be fed."

Callie turned around and locked gazes with the blonde. Her face told her that she was extremely happy with herself and wasn't the least bit sorry at all.

"This dinner party was _your_ idea. You need to go down there and let them know I'm going to be a little bit. Show them the house, offer drinks, just stall them!"

The latina huffed and sighed once more before walking, in the buff, to their bathroom. Arizona remained on the floor a moment and laughed. Standing up, she attempted to press out any wrinkles in her clothing.

As she neared the door that would lead her out of their bedroom, she heard a sound behind her.

Callie peered her head around the bathroom door and said, "It _was_ an earth shattering orgasm, babe. We'll discuss it later." Smiling her million watt smile, she stated to close the door before opening it again.

"By the way, wash your hands before greeting anyone!"

Arizona raised and eyebrow and sighed at her.

**_Love was a give and take arrangement. It was the quest for the ultimate balance_**.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**-14 months ago-**

Arizona had stopped at the guest bathroom down the hall to wash her hands before descending the stairs to the lower level of the house. Crossing the foyer quickly, she reached the front door just as the door bell rang out again.

She opened the door with a flourish and was instantly greeted by Teddy Altman.

"Hey, I figured I'd get here a little early to see if there was anything I could help with." the heart surgeon said, entering the blonde's home fully.

Arizona took her jacket and carried it a short distance to a small closet set off to the right of the foyer. Placing the garment inside, she turned her attention back to her friend.

"Umm, Calliope is finishing up in the bathroom. She's already got most of the ingredients set aside in the kitchen. I think she was just waiting for Lexie to give her a hand."

Teddy nodded her head and looked around the wide, open area she was standing in. The polished wood finish surrounding her was flawless. Shafts of sunlight from the door behind her fragmented her shadow on the floor before her. Though she'd been in Callie and Arizona's home a number of times before, this was the first time, since they'd completed the finishing touches, that the dirty blonde headed woman had been able to see the end results.

"Wow, Arizona. This place looks amazing. You guys really outdid yourselves." Teddy said, continuing to look around.

The smaller blonde smiled widely and grabbed her friend's hand.

"Let me show you the rest of the place!"

* * *

"Woah, easy on the cayenne pepper, Little Grey." Callie remarked as she watched the younger Grey come close to ruining her dish. Checking the measurements again, she met Lexie's apprehensive eyes.

"Why don't you finish getting those cilantro leaves chopped?"

Lexie moved around the counter to do as she'd been instructed when Arizona entered the kitchen from the dining room.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Cristina actually liked the asparagus bundles. She's hoarding the last plate and refuses to share with anyone but Meredith. I don't think Bailey is too happy. You close to having the next batch ready?" the blue eyed woman asked her fiance.

Callie raised an eye brow at her and sighed. Turning her attention to an 11x18 inch baking pan, she generously coated it with cooking spray. From her left, she grabbed several 6 inch corn tortillas and proceeded to cut them into wedges.

"Yeah, _mariposa,_ check the oven. They should be ready. Just drizzle them with the olive oil there," she indicated the container of olive oil with a flick of her head, " and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Make sure Bailey gets the first set."

Arizona walked behind her to check on the appetizers. The entire kitchen smelled heavenly. Callie had decided to go all out on their dinner party. After calling her mother to get her recipe for Mexican lasagna, she'd checked the Food Network site for a couple of quick and easy appetizers. In the end, she'd decided on the roasted asparagus bundles and the apple-rosemary blue cheese bites.

Not wanting to have her guests wait too long, she and Arizona had also decided to serve a variety of nuts and crackers to appease everyone's taste before the main course was ready.

Miranda Bailey had been the first one to comment.

"Hell, if I'd known I was going to be heading to a four-star restaurant today, I would have dressed the part." she'd said.

Callie had laughed and assured her guests that she was more than happy to exceed their expectations.

Arizona, not being as apt in the kitchen as her feisty Latina, had given everyone a tour of their home. She'd even gone so far as to show them the backyard, complete with a deck and a full size, in ground swimming pool. Mark had insisted on the need to see their bedroom, stating that as Callie's best friend, he needed to know "where the magic happened."

The blonde hostess had not given in to that request.

Standing behind Callie, now, Arizona removed the cookie sheet holding the roasted asparagus, and sat it on the stove.

Lexie finished chopping the cilantro leaves and studied the two women for a moment. Birds sang melodic tunes in the trees outside and the wind encouraged the chimes hanging from the deck to join in the natural made choir.

The young resident could hear laughter coming from the dining room to her right. Mark's voice carried over the raucous sounds of Cristina and Meredith's hearty guffaws and it caused her own face to break out into a small smile.

Turning her attention back to the other women sharing the kitchen with her, Lexie noticed Callie had turned her back to her and was currently settled behind Arizona. Her right hand was on the blonde's right hip and she could hear the two of them talking softly to one another.

Arizona turned her head and met Callie's eyes a moment before smiling at her and reaching for the salt and pepper. Lexie wondered if the two attendings realized that she was still in the room. It wasn't that they were engaged in anything sexually explicit. Far from it. It was just the simple fact that the two women were sharing a quiet, endearing moment and it left the younger woman feeling as if she were intruding.

Unable to leave without causing a scene, Lexie remained where she was. Callie's back was still to her and she watched as the dark haired woman bent her head and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's exposed shoulder.

As quickly as the moment had sneaked up on Lexie Grey, it was over. Arizona grabbed a plate and placed the appetizers on its face. Smiling one last time at Callie, the slender blonde carried the snack into the dining room.

Callie's rich voice snapped her back to the present and she laughed at herself for getting caught up in the two surgeons.

* * *

"Come on, Lexie. Let's get this thing together so we can throw it in the oven and eat."

An hour later, Callie pulled her Mexican lasagna from the oven and sat it on the counter to cool. Tossing the salad she'd prepared as a side dish one more time, she handed it to Arizona and released a heavy breath.

"I feel like a world class chef today." she said with a smirk.

Arizona pursed her lips and patted her arm with her free hand.

"I _did _suggest that we look into catering."

The tall Latina laughed and reached for her glass of wine to her left. Taking a long swallow from its contents, she eyed her partner from over its rim. Her eyes sparkled playfully.

"What?" the blonde questioned, a similar glint in her own eyes.

"Nothing. Just...this has been nice, hasn't it? I've never really gotten to do something like this. The closest thing I can think of is Thanksgiving, but Mark had just found out he had a daughter and Bailey was going through her divorce. Not to mention, Lexie cut her finger and that was just all kinds of gross. This is new for me. I like it. I love being able to share it with you, Ari."

The smaller woman lowered her eyes and stared at the floor for a moment. Looking back up, she attempted a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I like this, too, Calliope. Our friends are really enjoying it, too, it seems. This was a pretty awesome idea I had." she said nodding her head. "To top it all off, we get to enjoy your _fabulous _cooking."

Turning in the direction of the dining room, the blonde made to leave when a hand on her upper arm stopped her.

"What's wrong?" Callie's voice was soft and full of concern. Her eyes were no longer as lively as they had been. They'd taken on the shade the dark haired woman used when she sensed something was amiss with her lover.

Arizona scoffed at her and lowered her eyebrows. "What are you talking about? Everything's fine, Calliope."

"Don't" the hand on the blonde's arm tugged her gently.

Sighing, the smaller woman sat the salad she'd been holding on the counter next to the stove. She looked up into her girlfriend's face and asked, "Don't what?"

"Don't avoid me, Arizona. I know you and I know when something is wrong. Did I say something just now that upset you?"

Arizona realized in that moment just how much the woman standing in front of her knew her. Before, in the beginning of their relationship, she'd been able to hide the insecure parts of herself from Calliope. She could smile and infect the other woman with her bubbly personality and that would have been the end of things.

But, that was then. Things were vastly different now. Callie could read her. Her face. Her body language. Everything. The other woman could pick up on things that, before, Arizona would have been able to side step.

Placing her hands on either side of Callie's neck, the blonde sighed and met her eyes.

"It's nothing, Calliope. I just...Terri and I used to do things like this all the time. Thinking of her made me think of Hannah and I guess it just...I'm fine, okay? I promise. Let's not spoil all of this."

Her hands were gently kneading Callie's skin. She could feel the steady beat of the other woman's pulse as it vibrated against her neck.

Callie grabbed the hand that was across her pulse point and brought it to her lips. Kissing the blonde's palm, she said, "I'm sorry, baby. You know I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. I know. It's just...one of those things." Arizona interrupted before ending her statement with a soft sigh.

She stepped into the taller woman's embrace and wrapped her arms behind her head. Pressing her body fully against her lover's, the smaller woman kissed her softly.

"Let's finish today on a good note, okay? We still have to talk about that earth shattering orgasm from earlier."

Callie brought her hands down her fiance's back and settled them on her slim hips. Smiling broadly, she traced her eyes over the face in front of her own.

"Oh really? You want to talk about that?" she asked, her voice lowering a noticeable octave.

Instead of offering the raven haired ortho surgeon a reply, Arizona brought her mouth to her lover's ear and blew a hot breath across the sensitive flesh. She felt the hands on her hips tighten in response.

"Yeah, I wanna talk about that. You were gorgeous and you made me so hot. So, let's feed our guests so we can finish what we started."

Before Callie could voice her appreciation for her girlfriend's plans, a heavy sound of disgust brought them back to the present.

"You know, you two could feed your guests before you worry about eating each other."

Arizona turned around from Callie's embrace and found herself facing Cristina Yang. The Asian woman's face was unreadable, like always, but in her eyes, a spark of enjoyment could be seen burning within.

"They can eat each other, too, if they want. Think of it as an after dinner treat. Ow!"

Mark Sloan's crude remark was cute short when Miranda Bailey popped him on the back of the head. Laughter from Teddy and Meredith cut the uneasiness that had settled over the room and allowed Callie and Arizona the chance they needed to compose themselves.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's eat!" Callie said over the din of her guests. She picked up the lasagna from the counter and watched as Arizona did the same with the salad she'd put down earlier.

"Now we're talking. All this drinking has made me extremely hungry." Cristina said, heading back to the dining room.

* * *

Some time later, Callie and Arizona found themselves surrounded by several of their friends and coworkers. Mark Sloan sat at the front of the table with Callie to his right. Next to the ortho surgeon, Arizona spoke quite animatedly to Teddy who was, also, to her right. At the opposite end of the table, directly across from Mark, Bailey watched her fellow attendings and residents with an amused smirk adorning her full face. To her right, across the table from Callie, Arizona, and Teddy, Cristina, Meredith, and Lexie listened to their friends dinner conversation.

The atmosphere of the room was energetic and lively. The last remaining rays of day light could be seen streaming into the room from the window behind Mark and it warmed the occupants with its gentle farewell.

Lexie smiled into her fork after taking a bite of her dinner salad and watched everyone silently. Teddy, directly in front of her, turned away from Arizona and proceeded to make easy conversation with Bailey.

Next to her, Cristina, Mark, and her sister made crude jokes about the hospital on-call rooms. Everyone was happy. Relaxed.

Reaching for her glass of wine, the youngest doctor let her attention, once again, focus on her hosts.

Arizona was leaning into Callie as the taller woman whispered something in her ear. Both of them were smiling softly and Lexie watched as the two of them entwined their fingers together.

"When are you two getting married?" she asked suddenly. Her mellifluous voice brought everyone's attention to the recipients of her question.

Callie laughed, slightly shocked at the blunt question and scanned her eyes across the table. Arizona followed suit and squeezed her lover's hand, dimples fully noticeable.

"I-I didn't mean for that to...sound that way. I...I've just been watching you both tonight and you're so in love. Anyone can see it." Lexie said quickly in the silence that followed her inquiry.

Subtle nods from around the table corroborated her assessment of the pair and gave a silent strength to the young brunette to continue.

"You two have such a lovely home. It's amazing, really. Callie, you're bound to be up for the Harper Avery with your research and Arizona, you're the best peds surgeon I've ever worked with. I like seeing you two so happy. It's...It's inspiring." she finished, sparing a quick glance in Mark's direction.

"I think what Little Grey is trying to say is, when are you two gonna make it official?" Yang's bored voice caused a rich laugh to bubble up from Arizona's throat. Smiling at Callie and receiving a supportive smile in return, the blonde looked around the table once more.

"We're...uh..well, we haven't really made any plans to be honest. Things have been so crazy with the house and the move. We can't officially get married in the state of Washington, but we want to ensure that everything between us is split evenly and that we'll have power of attorney privileges. We both signed on the house and we..."

The small golden haired woman trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes found Callie's and she sighed.

"We, when things progress to that point, want both of our families to be present and, of course, we want all of you guys there as well. We're just..." Callie paused and looked at the blonde, "enjoying each other right now."

Lexie smiled behind a blush and raised her wine glass.

"A toast to the happy couple, then."

Cristina rolled her eyes but raised her own glass. Miranda smiled happily and did likewise. Around her, she watched as Meredith and Teddy and finally Mark all mirrored Lexie's actions and gave their well wishes to her two friends.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had parted company, Callie found herself in bed with her thoughts refusing to allow her a moment's peace. Lying on her back with her right arm behind her head, she stared into the empty dimness of their room and sighed.

Arizona's head was on her shoulder and her left arm was across Callie's middle. The even breathing from the blonde informed the restless woman that she was fast asleep.

Shifting in bed so that she could look down at her lover, Callie traced her face and smiled. Arizona was so beautiful. In sleep, she was stunning perfection. Her flawless light skin was enhanced by the light of the moon peeping in past the curtains of their room. She was at peace. Her face was at rest. She was not hurt, pained, worried or stressed. In sleep, she was untouched by any sorrows.

Callie lightly ran a finger down the blonde's nose. Stopping at the dip above her generous mouth, the taller woman continued to trail her fingers across the other woman's lips.

Arizona twitched her mouth and made an unintelligible sound below her breath. Stretching against Callie's body and loosely tangling her fingers in her dark hair, the blonde settled and become motionless once more.

The Latina watched the display and felt her lover's fingers in her hair. Her warm body was soothing to her and she smiled. Looking back at her partner, Callie cupped her cheek and continued to stare at her.

"Arizona?" she asked in a whisper. Her thumb ran along the other woman's lips.

Silence was her only response. So quiet it was, Callie was certain she could hear her partner's reassuring heartbeat.

"I love you, _mariposa_." she continued.

Leaning forward, she kissed the blonde's forehead before lying back down next to her.

_"Are you happy with me?" _she asked, but her unexpected question was voiced in Spanish.

Continuing in her first language, the raven haired woman whispered, "_We haven't moved too fast for you, have we? I haven't allowed you to push yourself too hard for me? Mariposa, you don't regret anything do you?"_

The blonde remained silent and continued to sleep peacefully in Callie's embrace. Outside, a dog barked in the night, but otherwise all was quiet. Settling down and closing her eyes, the Latina attempted to put her fears and insecurities to rest.

She felt Arizona snuggle closer to her body and, before she was aware, she'd drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

**-13 months ago-**

"Nooo, stay with me." Callie whined in a voice heavy with sleep. The sheet draped across her nude body fell away at her waist and revealed more of her darkly toned skin. Her right arm reached for the body leaving their bed and her fingers wrapped loosely around a slim wrist.

The early morning sun burned brightly through the doors behind her while its rays warmed her back. She realized that Arizona must have pulled the curtains away from the double doors to allow the day to enter their room. A large grey colored plush chair with a foot stool sat in front of the doors. A single rust colored pillow joined the chair offering a slight splash of color.

Behind Callie, next to the doors and coming to a slight curve in the wall, an off the floor fire place longed for the company of a burning blaze. The corners of the decorative piece came inward, meeting the lightly colored brick walls of the interior. Atop of the fireplace, a thin mantle with a dark wooden trim held a silver container full of bright green shrubbery. Though the two of them had similar tastes when it came to decorating, the one area of contention was plants. Callie preferred art and darker colors whereas Arizona favored live plants and brighter shades.

Unable to resist her partner's dimples, the tall Latina had given in to allowing as many plants in their home as the other woman desired.

That fact was evident in their room. Above the mantle and fireplace, a broader, wooden shelf met the double doors of their room and showcased several small plants. Callie tugged on the wrist in her hand and its owner fell softly against her.

Light, cream colored sheets matched the overall coloring of the room. The two women had decided on earth tone and neutral colors since their tastes varied so drastically. At the foot of the bed, an ash hued wrap fell across the comforter, its coloring a stark difference to the pallid bed beneath it.

Two small pillows, their rusted colors marking them as kin to the one in the chair, lay unattended on the floor at the blonde's feet. She remembered throwing them from the bed, in her haste the previous night, to have Callie's body on her own.

On either side of their bed, a darkly colored end table hugged the wall and each supported a clear, glass lamp with off white shades. They sat on a thin, flat rug beneath the bed. Surrounding that rug, light brown, porcelain tile covered the floor from one end of the room to the next.

Arizona smiled and allowed Callie to pull her body against her own. She felt the other woman's breath on the back of her neck and her fingers around her waist. A strong, steady beat warmed her the rhythm of her lover's heart.

"Stay with me. Don't go." Callie whispered to her. Her voice was slow and slurred as she fought to stay awake.

The blonde grabbed the hand holding her middle and threaded her fingers with her fiance's. Callie shifted slightly and a moment later, Arizona was surrounded, not only by her partner's warmth, but that of the comforter as well.

"Are we just going to stay in bed all day?" the smaller woman asked softly. Her eyes perused a large potted plant in front of her. It's deep brown base was filled with smooth, round pebbles that held a rich green ficus. She'd loved the way it set off the room and wanted it next to her night stand. Its shadow currently danced across the floor in front of their bathroom.

The body behind her sighed with contentment. Soft, warm lips pressed fully against the back of her neck and a nose nudged through her hair.

"Yes." Callie replied after a moment.

Arizona laughed and closed her eyes. "We are?"

"_Si_, we're on vacation now. I want to spend the first day of it pressed against your body. You feel good, baby."

Callie's voice was still heavy with sleep. The blonde wondered how much of their current conversation the other woman would remember later in the day. Callie was a lover of sleep more than she. Though she did enjoy a good night's rest, like any doctor, she was also very much a military brat. When she had time off, time away from the hospital, the blonde wanted to be productive and catch up on matters she, otherwise, would be too busy to attend to.

A well toned leg curled itself around her hip and she felt her lover rest her head against her back. Above her, a dark metal fan remained silent as it hung from a deeply waxed wooden ceiling. The polished wood was set in a deep inlay that was surrounded by a larger cream colored rectangle. Lights ran along the outside of the inlay and were barely noticeable among the ceiling.

In front of the bed a large antique table, with iron interwoven among its front, held a 60" black, flat-screen television. Beneath the tv, on the table's top, several books and magazines lined the surface. Medical journals laid in a pile at the opposite end of the massive table.

Between the television and the fireplace, 3 black platforms, each varying in size, held each a single lightly colored candle. A burnt orange drape sat beneath the display along the floor. Callie had fallen in love with the piece when she'd seen it. The first night that she and Arizona had become settled in their new home, she'd insisted on making love to the blonde with the candle's light bathing the two of them.

"Calliope? It's nearly 11:00. I need to shower. I smell like sex." the blonde said to the silence of the room.

Callie groaned and snuggled closer to her. In a small voice, she replied, "I like when you smell like sex. Now, go back to sleep."

Deciding to change tactics, Arizona said "Well, I'm hungry. I need to eat something."

She felt a smile against her back and knew her lover was, most likely, thinking something naughty. Verifying her assumptions, Callie said, "Well, you're going to have to wait to eat. I'm not open yet."

Arizona scoffed before laughing and turned around to face the other 's eyes were still closed, but a mischievous smile was gracing her features.

"Calliope! You can be so crude sometimes!" she said in a louder voice.

Her partner opened an eye and studied her for a time before smiling more fully and rolling onto her back. The blonde moved with her and straddled her hips. She ran her hands gently across Callie's chest and marveled at the difference of their coloring.

"I'm trying to sleep." Callie whined.

"Well, you're my favorite buffet so I think that means we have a problem."

The dark haired woman opened her eyes and met her girlfriend's gaze.

"Now, who's being crude?" she asked.

Smiling, Arizona continued to allow her fingers to enjoy Callie's warm, soft skin. She noticed that the other woman's nipples had already hardened under her touch.

"I think you're open now, Calliope." she said, her voice dropping to a lower pitch.

Tan hands grasped her thighs and roughly pleaded with them to part. Lowering herself more fully onto her girlfriend's body, the blonde suddenly pinched the taller woman's taut nipple and smirked when she was rewarded with a strong gasp.

"Arizona..." Callie moaned through her teeth. Her body was beginning to wake itself as it responded to its other half.

The blue eyed woman leaned against Callie's chest and brought her mouth to her ear.

"You're always open for me, Calliope."

Before the Latina could respond, the sound of a cell phone going off shattered their moment.

"_Mierda, no. _Ignore it, baby. Call them back and tell them you were at the 'All you can eat buffet'." Callie practically cried.

Arizona's face fell as the phone continued to ring. She could feel Callie's slight wetness against her body from the other woman's building arousal. The nipple between her finger and thumb was still pebbled and her partner's breathing was on the verge of becoming less steady. All in all, everything pointed to the signs of a beautiful morning. All except the sound of her phone begging for her attention.

"I have to answer it, sweet heart. It could be the hospital." she said, reaching for the phone.

Callie grabbed her arm as she grasped the device. "We're on vacation. I'm naked, wet, and really wanting your mouth on me right now. Let it ring. They'll leave a voice-mail if it's important."

Hoping to offer the blonde an incentive to comply with her wishes, the raven haired woman brought her mouth to a perfect neck and nipped her hotly. She allowed her tongue to part her lips and trailed it up the other woman's flesh. Using her free hand, she slipped it beneath their bodies and ran her thumb over the blonde's clit.

"You're not playing fair..." the smaller woman gasped out as she rolled her hips against her partner's fingers.

The phone in her hand stopped ringing and Callie took the opportunity presented to her. Grabbing the phone, she tossed it on the bed and brought Arizona's face to her own.

Holding her chin, she said, "Unless you want me to touch myself, I really need you to get back to what you were doing. I'm totally awake right now. So, touch me."

Continuing to roll her hips, Arizona met her eyes. "You're going to have to stop touching me first. It's distracting."

Callie quickly removed her fingers from her lover's sex and threw her hands above her head. Resting them against the pillows, she smirked impishly at the woman on top of her.

"I'm open. Eat me." she ordered.

The blonde raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"I can't believe you said that."

The dark skinned woman bit her lip and smiled at her.

"You started it when you brought up the buffet."

Arizona leaned down and kissed her lips. She dipped her tongue slowly into her partner's warm mouth and moaned when she was met with the velvet smoothness of the other woman's own tongue. Moans left both of their lips.

"It turned me on. Say it again." the blonde said softly in between kisses. She brought her hands up and ran them along the insides of her lover's raised arms.

Callie brought a leg up and forced it between the smaller woman's legs.

Breathing heavily, she complied with Arizona's request.

"Eat me..."

A gentle chirping distracted the blue eyed woman and she opened her eyes. Turning her head away from Callie's mouth, she looked to her phone, still on the bed. Its display informed her that she had a new voicemail.

Sighing in frustration, Arizona reached for it as the woman beneath her did the same thing.

"No, Arizona." Callie begged. "Make love to me."

The blonde looked down at her and then to her phone in her outstretched hand. Callie's long fingers were holding the phone as well. Her face was flush and her eyes lidded. She moved her body up along Arizona's, pleading for her touch.

"Baby, just let me make sure everything is okay. I promise if it's nothing important, I won't think anymore about it. Okay?"

Callie frowned and dropped her hand from the blonde's. Bringing that hand to her partner's face, she lightly traced the contours of her face.

Arizona smiled at the petulant display and turned to look at her phone. Resting her weight on her left elbow, she brought the phone closer to her and scrolled through her missed calls.

Her face fell.

The dark skinned woman watched and lowered her brow at the woman above her. The blonde's eyes lost their shine and her mouth slacked at whatever name she was reading.

"Who is it from?" Callie asked when it seemed obvious that her lover wasn't going to provide the information.

Arizona couldn't fathom the reason behind her missed call. Sure, they'd parted on decent enough terms. They could even be called friendly with one another. Still, thinking about the person in question, inevitably, brought about strong emotions.

"Baby?" Callie asked again. She could feel the heat she and Arizona had been building fading away as their moment slipped through their fingers.

Blue eyes finally met brown and the smaller woman swallowed. Her confusion and pending trepidation were palpable.

"It was Terri."

* * *

**-Present Day-**

"Is she okay? Calliope?" Arizona's voice was beyond frantic. Pushing away from Teddy's light embrace, she rushed after the hospital bed holding her partner.

"Arizona, we don't have time for this. We're having to deliver the baby." Addison said in a rush.

The blonde grabbed the red headed doctor's arm and turned her around to face her. Dr. Bailey continued pulling the bed towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

"Just tell me what's wrong, Addison!"

The blue eyed woman sighed and looked at the peds surgeon. Turning her head, she watched as Miranda came to a reluctant stop at the silver doors to the elevator.

"She suffered a placental abruption. The baby is bradycardic and Callie's eclamptic. She stopped breathing, Arizona."

Anything else the neonatal surgeon said after that was lost to the blonde. Everything around her slowed to an impossible point and the sound of her own heart was loud in her ears. She racked her terrified brain for the stages of eclampsia and realized that Callie must have just entered the third stage. The stage of convulsion.

Blinking, she shook her head and realized that Addison had turned away from her. She watched the tall woman come to a stop next to Callie's bed as the elevator doors opened.

Eclampsia was a life threatening condition. Callie could go into a prolonged coma. Or worse. She couldn't allow things to happen around her as they would. Not again. Teddy came up behind her but she shrugged her away and ran after Addison.

Stopping the elevator doors from closing, she joined Dr. Bailey and Dr. Montgomery in its cramped quarters.

"Dr. Robbins? What do you think you're doing?" Bailey asked.

"I want to be in the delivery room." Arizona responded, but her eyes were locked with Addison's.

"Arizo-"

"No! Addison, you know I need to be in there. I'll stay behind the curtain, but...please." she finished in a small voice. "You know I need to be in there..."

Dr. Montgomery sighed. She knew Arizona was correct. She knew why she needed to be present. It was her own suggestion several months ago that had caused the force behind her current struggle. She owed it to Arizona to, at least, be present during the birth.

"Fine, but you'll do _nothing_ medical. Do you understand? Not a thing."

The smaller woman released a deep breath and nodded her head profusely. Her tears were painful on her face and her heart was beating against its will. Sniffing back a sob that wanted to release itself from her body, Arizona looked back to her lover and nearly lost her composure.

Callie's skin lacked its normal radiance and her hair was slick from sweat against her face and neck. She glanced to the machine monitoring her lover's life signs. Addison had told her Callie had become cyanotic. She knew, from her own medical knowledge, that it had most likely lasted only a few minutes. But, she found that medical fact to be anything but reassuring.

Her partner, her love, her soul had stopped breathing. Even if she was currently breathing again, knowing that she had come so close to death nearly stilled Arizona's heart. Bending down next to the Latina, Arizona tried not to focus on the blood surrounding her.

"I'm here, baby. I came for you. I'm here." she whispered against her skin.

Callie's silent response nearly broke the blonde. Closing her eyes, she felt fresh hot tears slip from her lids. They fell down her face and onto her partner's neck where they mixed with the sweat from her body.

"I'm not leaving you, baby. Either of you. I'm here...I'm here."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**-13 months ago-**

"Let me up." Callie said. Her tone was slightly harsh in its deliverance and Arizona moved to comply with the other woman's wishes. The phone, still in her hand, felt heavy and she sighed as she watched Callie remove herself from their bed.

"Calliope-" she started, but was quickly cut off.

"This isn't how I wanted to start our vacation." the Latina said, turning around to face her. "Is she always going to be in the background of our lives, Arizona?"

The blonde swallowed and shook her head slightly. Her partner's words were confusing to her. She couldn't seem to make herself understand where they were coming from. Things had ended as well as they could have, given the circumstances, between herself and Terri. Callie had informed her later, that the green eyed woman had given her sound advice and that that advice had proven useful. By all accounts, Arizona had come to assume that Terri and Callie were as civil as two people of their positions could be.

"Calliope, you don't even know what it is she wants. We haven't heard from her since we left her hotel months ago."

Callie ran her hands through her hair and looked at the skyline beyond the doors of their bedroom. Tall, verdant, green trees swayed in the wind and a flock of unknown birds disappeared against the horizon. Standing nude, as she currently was, the dark skinned woman found herself grateful that their room was on the second floor of their home and faced nothing but an endless expanse of sky and earth.

"I'm going to take a bath." she said, shaking her head and lowering her eyes to the floor. Without another word, she turned away from the stunned, blue eyed woman sitting on their bed and walked towards the bathroom.

Arizona watched the retreating form of her lover until the door of the bathroom impeded her view. Her mind was at a loss as to what had just transpired. Callie's obvious...jealousy was something she couldn't seem to reconcile.

Something else, something larger was weighing on the heart of the woman she loved.

Staring back down at the phone in her hand, the blonde looked at its screen for long moments. She could hear the sound of rushing water coming from behind the closed door of the bathroom and knew Callie was, most likely, already submerging herself in its quick comforts.

Her thumb hovered over the icon indicating her new voice message. Smiling up at her, on the display of the phone, was Callie's face. Her hair was pulled up high and fastened with a banana clip while a few wavy strands shadowed her perfect features. The dark woman's eyes were alight with life, love, and joy and her smile was completely breathtaking.

Arizona remembered taking the picture while the two of them were furniture shopping several weeks ago. They'd just left their fourth store and had been making their way back to Callie's car when the taller woman had started laughing, seemingly out of the blue. When the blonde had given her questioning look, Callie had informed her that she was happy for no other reason than the fact that the two of them were shopping for furniture. For their their new home.

The memory warmed the blonde and she found herself smiling slightly. She wanted her partner to look as she did in the picture. To feel as she had on that day. She didn't want Callie feeling upset or betrayed. More than anything, Arizona didn't want to see her girlfriend as she just had.

She decided to listen to Terri's message if for no other reason than to satisfy her own curiosity. Whatever else happened after that, the blonde didn't care. All she wanted to do was join her lover in the bathroom and attempt to salvage their vacation.

Bringing the phone to her ear, she listened to her voice mail.

* * *

Callie laid back in the large claw foot bathtub and allowed the steaming water to completely cover her body. When she and Arizona had been decorating their home, Callie had been insistent that she alone be able to furnish and theme their bathroom. The smaller woman had easily complied and, in the end, had been pleased with the results.

The bathtub sat alone to the left of the room. It's basin was deep and more resembled something from an earlier century. Standing next to the tub, a long, curved silver faucet raised from the floor and hung over the side of the smooth white porcelain.

Light from a double window glared across Callie's closed lids in front of the bathtub. Shadows from the windows design moved across the white curtains in front of them and cast the room in subdued sunshine.

To Callie's right, against the wall, a sink and toilet sat in front of a light colored panel of wood that ran the length of the bathroom. The paneling reached only halfway up the wall before meeting light blue paint.

Behind her and to the right of the bathroom door, a large glass and tile shower stall stood proudly along the wall. The space behind the doors was wide and open and offered nothing of modesty. The two women could easily fit inside its seclusion for it also allowed a generous amount of free movement. In case the two of them decided to share water on regular occasions.

Sighing, Callie settled herself deeper in the hot water and tried to calm her chaotic thoughts. The morning had appeared to start off on a wonderful note. She'd awakened to the warmth of her partner and the two of them had slowly started one of her favorite activities. They were playful and carefree and the thought of spending the entire day in bed with the blonde had been more than appealing to Callie.

That was until Arizona's cell phone had ruined the beautiful moment they'd been creating. Until Terri had decided to destroy the heat that had been building between their bodies.

Terri.

The name, even spoken in the confines of her own thoughts, caused the raven haired woman's stomach to tighten. It wasn't that she didn't like the other woman. Terri was a likable enough person. It was the fact that, despite being secure in her relationship with Arizona, Callie still felt, at times, like she would never measure up to her lover's ex.

She knew, in the back of her mind, that her fears were silly. They didn't have any real merit. Arizona loved her. She was crazy about her. Callie knew that. But, Terri had given her something she hadn't. A child.

Though she and the blonde had decided to have children of their own, Callie couldn't stop her mind from wreaking havoc on her emotions. Would their children ever hold a candle to Hannah? Would their child be as Callie felt at times? Second best?

_'Stop it_'. A stern voice shouted in her head. The sound was the voice of reason. Her mind was attempting to stop her from allowing her fears and insecurities to take a firmer hold on her.

She was being unreasonable. She knew that. Despite that, she couldn't seem to fully shake the hold her worries had on her. She hadn't been able to since meeting Terri. And now, the woman who was causing her so much emotional instability was back in the picture.

Callie tilted her head back and let the warm water cover her hair. A pair of gentle hands on either side of her face startled her and she opened her eyes. Sitting on a stool at the head of the bathtub was Arizona. Warm, blue eyes looked down at her.

Callie remained as she was and continued to drink in the sight of the blonde. Her hair was falling around her face and her lips were pulled back into a small smile. The Latina noticed that she had pulled a robe over her body.

Arizona tugged gently on her face and Callie moved so that her ears were above water. She rested her head against the rim of the tub and continued to stare into blue eyes. The blonde's hands on her face were soft and comforting.

Fingers tenderly moved dark strands of hair away from her neck and ran along the underside of her chin.

"You're so beautiful." the woman above her whispered. A moment later, warm lips pressed against her forehead and then her nose before pulling away. "Even when you act like an ass."

Callie attempted to move so that she could face Arizona, but the other woman held her in place.

"Stay." she said in a low tone of voice.

Before Callie could argue, Arizona grabbed a bottle of shampoo sitting next to her on the floor. Pouring a generous amount into her open palm, she moved her hands and ran them through her lover's thick dark hair. Her fingers scratched the other woman's scalp and lathered the sweet smelling shampoo.

"Green tea and cucumber melon." the blonde said suddenly. "I love the way this smells on you."

Callie remained quiet. She could the gentle fingers of her lover as they continued to, reverently, wash her hair. There was nothing about the other woman's movements that spoke of ill feelings or a desire to argue.

She could feel her worries washing away, fading into temporary nonexistence. She sat up in the water and almost immediately, a soft and familiar body was behind her. Arizona settled herself against the back of the deep basin and pulled Callie's body to her own. Reaching over the side of tub, her fingers grasped a large cup and she quickly filled it with water.

"Close your eyes." she said to the woman in front of her.

Callie obeyed and the blonde proceeded to rinse the shampoo from her hair. Silence engulfed the two of them. The occasional ripple of splashing water was the only sound heard for several minutes. The darker skinned woman closed her eyes as her partner slowly washed her back.

"I'm sorry." she said, almost inaudibly. The sponge, rubbing circles on the skin of her spine, stopped.

Arizona leaned forward and kissed her shoulder blade softly. "Me, too." was all she said before continuing her previous activities.

"Ari...what did she want?" Callie asked. Her eyes were staring blankly at the shadows on the opposite side of the window's curtain. The sun was higher in the sky than it had been and its light was more determined to make itself known in their bathroom. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder.

Arizona met her gaze and rested her chin on her shoulder. They were practically nose to nose.

"She's moving. Selling our old house. She called to see if we wanted to go through Hannah's room before she started packing."

Callie paled at the words. She'd completely forgotten about Terri's proposal a few months ago. Things had been so fast paced with their own move that she'd not had time to even contemplate the idea of going to Arizona's old house.

Suddenly, she found herself feeling extremely small. She'd allowed her secret fears to come to light and, in the process, hurt the woman she loved.

"What's wrong with you, Calliope?" Arizona asked quietly. There was no accusation in the question. The blonde's blue eyes searched the taller woman's face for answers, but Callie lowered her eyes and sighed.

She couldn't tell Arizona about her worries. There was nothing the other woman could do to alleviate them. Her demons were her own to worry about. She knew that, if she did confess her heart's insecurities, the blonde would do everything she could to convince her otherwise. Seeing as how her fears were based in the unreasonable, anyhow, anything her girlfriend could tell her would only get lost in translation.

No, Callie's unjustified worries were her own. She couldn't, wouldn't, say anything to upset her partner.

Leaning back against the body behind her, Callie replied, "Nothing, _mariposa_, I guess I just overreacted. I don't like my time with you being interrupted. Let's just forget it happened, okay?"

Arizona regarded for long moments. She knew Callie wasn't being completely honest with her, but what could she do? She didn't want to risk pushing Callie to talk only to have them get into a senseless argument.

"Okay, it's forgotten, baby." the blue eyed woman said, before pushing against her to bridge the gap between their lips. She felt the tension in Callie's shoulders lessen as she deepened the kiss.

Slowly pulling back for air, the blonde kissed the other woman tenderly several more times.

"I love you so much. You know that, don't you?" she whispered.

Callie smiled at her, her eyes lighting up to compliment the gesture. Leaning her head against Arizona's, she grabbed the smaller woman's hand in her own.

"I know. I love you, too, Arizona."

The water surrounding their bodies was starting to cool but neither woman moved from the others embrace. The two of them found a solace in their current state that they both were reluctant to give up.

After a time, Callie asked shyly, "So, how soon do we leave for Philadelphia?"

**-Present Day-**

Mark Sloan entered the hospital and his icy blue gray eyes scanned for a familiar head of dirty blonde hair. The text he'd received had simply read 'Callie. 911'.

He'd left his apartment and his date as soon as he'd read the vague message. Molly...Holly...whatever the name of his date was, was most likely still waiting for him, confused, but he didn't care in the slightest. The only person he cared about, the only name his mind could think of, was Callie.

Pulling out his cell phone, he read the text again, though it's words had not changed. He felt his insides trying to freeze up at the thought of his best friend being in trouble. Of any kind. He and Callie, and even he and Arizona, had grown closer over the past year. He couldn't imagine not hearing Callie's vibrant laugh or teasing her about her relationship.

"Mark." an unsteady voice shocked him into the present and he turned around to find Teddy with her arms at her sides. Her face was drawn and her eyes were downcast. His throat tightened.

"Where is she?" he asked sternly.

"Mark-"

"Where is she, damn it!" he yelled. His anger wasn't directed at Teddy, if anger was the correct term.

No. Not anger. _Fear._ Mark Sloan was scared. Terrified. The look on his friend's face, coupled with the vague text message, were mixing together to create a volatile mixture inside him.

He came to stand in front of the slender heart surgeon and put his hands on her slim shoulders. Lowering his head, he met her eyes and asked again, with less force than before, "Where is she, Teddy? Where's Callie?"

Teddy sighed and sniffed back her tears. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she said "She's been rushed to the O.R, Mark. I was in the room...she lost a lot of blood. The baby was in distress. She's eclamptic...she's...it doesn't look good."

Mark was floored. Everything around him swayed and he felt as if the world was falling away beneath him.

"Arizona...where is she? She needs me." he said, looking back at Teddy.

Teddy lowered her eyes, the man's words not solidifying in her thoughts. Arizona Robbins needed Mark Sloan? Since when? What crazy dream had she awakened into?

"I don't know where she is, Mark. She raced after Bailey and Montgomery as they were rushing Callie to the O.R."

She continued to search the handsome face in front of her. Mark ran his hand over his light beard and sighed deeply. It was obvious to her how the news was affecting him. It was also obvious that he was trying his best to not show how much he was hurting.

"She can't go through this again, Teddy. Not after Hannah and she damn sure can't lose Callie. I need to find her." the tall man said as he moved away.

Before Teddy could say anything, Mark had disappeared amongst the hustle and bustle of the hospital. She released a breath and asked, no one in particular, "Who is Hannah?"


	9. Chapter 8 Interlude

The sensation was heavy. Though she knew this to be the case, she couldn't seem to identify the strange feeling. Feeling. There was no feeling. She was neither hot nor cold. There was no pain yet she also felt nothing of liveliness. There was...nothing. How could she feel nothing? It was a contradiction.

She was unaware of so many things. Her mind refused to cooperate with her attempts to come to a solution. An answer. To what? Where was she? She frantically fought with herself to remember. If she could calm herself, perhaps order would visit her mind and grant it clarity.

Breathe.

Breathe.

The sensation, the heavy weight of nothingness, lifted minutely. That was progress, at least she hoped it counted as progress. Her mind was cluttered. Every time she focused on any one train of thought, her brain felt fuzzy and relinquished its grip. How could the every day act of breathing help matters any if she couldn't feel the air entering her lungs; if she couldn't feel the beat of her own heart?

Everything was fragmented, chaotic and extremely overwhelming. There was no sound. There were no smells. There was nothing to help her understand what was happening. She was uncertain as to whether or not her eyes were closed or if they were open and there was just nothing to see. The idea scared her, yet she felt nothing if her body reacted to the thought.

Limbo.

The word drifted to her mind and she rebelled against it. Was that where she was? Did it truly exist? What had brought her here? Was there even a here to begin with? She needed answers, not more questions.

Was she alone? Did something happen? Where was Arizona?

Arizona. The name shocked her. She felt a slight tingle run along her...wait. She felt. There was feeling attached to the name. The sensation was dull as if it were blocked by something. But what?

She said the name to herself, but no sound escaped her lips. Even though, the mere thought of the other woman brought forth a sound this time. She strained to hear it. Where was it coming from?

No, the harder she tried to follow the sound, the quieter it became. Was it laughter? Arizona's laughter? Nothing made sense. She had to be dreaming. A horrible dream, a nightmare, but a dream nonetheless. Yes, that had to be it.

Another sensation caught her attention. A shaking. Patting? She tried to calm herself in the hopes that, in so doing, she wouldn't chase the feeling away. It was a grip. A light, barely noticeable grip. Where was it located?

There! On her shoulder. No, on her arm. The grip was shaking her. It was trying to...get her attention? Everything was heavy. The simplest of things was proving to be a struggle. She just wanted to sleep so she could eventually awake from this dream. This nightmare.

The grip on her arm and the shaking of her body grew more persistent. There was a voice swimming to her ears, but it was too softly spoken for her to make out its words. If she could just ignore the voice, then everything would fade away and she wouldn't have to deal with whatever she was currently experiencing.

"CC, don't do that. She'd be mad if you did that. Wake up, CC."

Callie turned her head, or at least she assumed she did. The voice, the words, shocked her into wakefulness. She didn't recognize the voice. Not completely. But, it had been clear.

"That's better.

Her eyes opened and she was relieved to notice that there actually was something around her. Colors. Nothing definitive, but Callie could just make out dark shades of varying colors in her periphery. They stung her eyes and she turned away from them. A hand on her face caused her to jump and she soon came to realize that she was now in a seated position.

How had that come to pass?

"You're okay, CC. "

The voice. It was so familiar yet so disconcerting. Callie blinked her eyes and they focused on the small body sitting in front of her. She couldn't make herself believe what she was seeing. Or rather, who she was seeing. Something was wrong. There must have been an accident or...something.

She released a breath and was gratified to hear the sound of her exhalation. She brought her hands to her lips and tried to stifle the sound of her gasp. Things were becoming more real for her now, though they did little to make any amount of sense. Feelings, sensations, ideas, thoughts; all were slowly becoming less and less of her mind and more and more of her...reality?

"Are you going to say something, CC?"

The owner of the voice smiled at her and patted her leg. Her heart broke. The smile, the eyes, the facial expressions were all Arizona's. The voice seemed too old to belong to the five year old staring up at her, and though it missed the lisp she knew it once to have possessed, there was no denying who she was gazing upon.

Shaking her head and bringing her hands down to her lap, she swallowed, dryly, and met the sterling blue eyes of someone she thought never to meet.

"Hannah?"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

The small child in front of her, the beautiful, breathing, lively, breathtaking child, before her gave her a questioning look.

"CC? Why do you look like that?"

Callie couldn't seem to make things real in her mind. Hannah couldn't be here, talking to her, calling her...CC? She released a heavy breath that ended in a small laugh. Hannah's brow was furrowed as she continued to regard her and Callie was, once again, taken aback at how much the young girl resembled her mother.

"Hannah?" she asked again. Resting her weight on her knees, she leaned forward and brought her fingers to the child's face. Hannah didn't make a move to stop her, but continued to stare at her with bright blue eyes.

Callie's hands gently cupped Hannah's face and the sensation of her skin beneath her fingertips was too much for the dark skinned woman. This child was Arizona's daughter. This child was a child lost. This child was her partner's flesh and blood.

"Oh God, you're perfect." she said, her voice hitching and her fingers trembling.

Arizona's daughter giggled at her and placed her own small hands on Callie's wrists.

"You're funny, CC."

Callie shook her head and smiled brightly. A thought crept along the outside of her mind and startled her when she caught it. Hannah was dead. She'd died years ago. There was no way she could be looking, now, at the young girl. Yet, she was. Did that mean...?

"No...no...Hannah, this isn't right. What's going on?" she asked, looking around her.

She sat back away from...Hannah? An apparition? She wasn't sure anymore. The sense of heaviness was closing in on her once again and her vision was starting to become less clear. Closing her eyes, she attempted to catch her breath and calm herself. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. The only way she could be interacting with Hannah was if she, herself, was dead. But, that couldn't be. She would never have left Arizona.

_Arizona._

Again, shocking, reverberating feeling passed through her body at the thought of the blonde.. It fought with the encroaching feeling of foreboding that was closing its fingers around her.

"Stay here, CC."

Hannah's voice, so melodic like Arizona's, floated to her ears and forced her eyes open.

"Everything is okay, but you have to stay with me."

Had she died? There must have been an accident, but she couldn't recall any such event. She and Arizona had been...where? The answers she needed were like smoke. She couldn't focus on them long enough for anything to make sense.

"You were in the nursery, CC."

Hannah was closer to her now. Her tiny hands were on Callie's knees and she was looking up into her face. Her blue eyes were comforting to her. They reminded her of Arizona.

"Nursery?" she asked, trying to remember.

The child in front of her nodded her head but remained silent.

Callie's mind was cluttered, unfocused. She was drawing a blank. What nursery? Wait. An image came suddenly to her mind's eye. A room. Brightly colored. There was a crib, toys, Arizona...

"The nursery? We were in the nursery, weren't we? Something happened, but I can't-"

She cut herself off before finishing her own revelation. Her hands slid down her body and came to rest on her stomach.

"I'm not pregnant." she said, in scared tones, to Hannah. "Did I lose the baby? No, oh please tell me no." Her voice was strained, terse. The darkness consumed her again and the weight of nothingness assaulted her relentlessly. Hannah's hands on her lap faded briefly and her senses threatened to abandon her.

She could feel tears running down her face, but they too were soon consumed by the enveloping, but welcome, darkness.

"She's not here. You didn't lose her, CC. Come back here. To me."

The voice.

The sweet, albeit too grown, voice penetrated the heavy fog attacking her mind and when she opened her eyes, she realized she was in the nursery Hannah had spoken of earlier.

Hannah was sitting in a rocking chair by a large, beautiful wooden crib. In her hands was a light brown teddy bear with a giant red ribbon around its neck.

"Hannah?" Callie said as she walked over to the chair and kneeled before the child occupying it. "Am I dead? Is that why I'm seeing you, baby?"

The brown headed girl hugged the bear in her hands to her chest and looked at Callie.

"I just have to keep you here, CC. You can't go to the other place. Mommy wouldn't like it if you did that so I'm keeping you here for her."

Callie swallowed and looked at Arizona's daughter. She wasn't sure what was going on. A few things were for certain though. Where ever _here_ was, was preferable to the dark nothingness that kept calling for her. Hannah was determined to keep her with her. The other thing that was for certain, Callie realized, was that, whatever she was experiencing, was allowing her to interact with someone she'd never thought she'd be able to.

Standing from her position on the floor, she looked back down at Hannah and waited for the child to meet her eyes. When she did, Callie smiled and bent down to pick her up. Hannah wrapped her arms around her neck and held the bear in her hands, where it fell against Callie's back.

The tall Latina sat down in the rocking chair and positioned the young child in her lap.

"You did good, Dims. Arizona would be happy."

She rocked the two of them for several moments. The gentle rocking of the chair's motion was a soothing comfort to Callie as was Hannah's presence and warmth. She found herself humming and running the fingers of one of her hands through the child's curly hair. Where ever she was, whatever was happening, Callie wanted nothing more than to collect herself and continue holding someone who meant so much to her partner.

Hannah toyed with the bear in her hands. Running her finger across his nose, she said, "This was mine. Mr. Cuddles was my bear."

Callie paused in her rocking motion and looked back down at the young child. Hannah raised her head and said, "This is where it all started, CC."

Before Callie had time to register what was happening, the nursery around her peeled away and coelesced into another room. A room she'd only ever seen once before. A room she'd thought never to visit again. Around her, the gentle soothing ornaments of her child's nursery faded away to give birth to another room, equally soothing but with roots from a past long removed.

Hannah's room.

"It started here, didn't it?"

Callie turned to the sound of Hannah's voice. The small girl was no longer in her arms as she was no longer sitting in a rocking chair. Instead, the blue eyed child was bouncing on a bed directly in front of her.

"What started here? What are you talking about, sweet heart?"

Ceasing her movements and meeting the dark haired woman's eyes, Hannah replied, "Your decision. Your decision about my baby sister."

**-13 months ago-**

"I hate flying. Why does she have to live all the way across the freaking country!"

Callie halted her movements and raised her eyebrow at her girlfriend. Around her, people walked, talked, shouted, pushed various pieces of luggage, stood in overly long lines or sat in not so comfortable chairs.

From time to time, a distant voice over a loudspeaker would announce departure or boarding times. Standing in the large, crowded Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, otherwise referred to as SeaTac Airport, Callie couldn't help the incredulous smirk that appeared on her face.

"Um, _you_ are the one who moved all the way across the country." she said to the back of the blonde's head.

Arizona stopped and turned around to face her. Light from the outside world poured inside the building through the huge pane of multi-framed glass behind her. The high, vaulted feel of the ceiling gave off the appearance that inside life and outside life were one in the same.

Tall lamps with varying heights of hanging light fixtures accentuated the, already luminous, natural light streaming in from the other side of the open space. Behind Arizona, Callie could see a Wendy's in the corner and to her left, a local shop had several different kinds of imported chocolates on display.

"So, this is my fault?" the blue eyed woman asked.

Callie scoffed at her and shook her head. "Is there a fault to begin with? What are you talking about?"

Arizona hung her shoulders and sighed. She hated, hated, hated flying. If it weren't a necessity for covering large distances, the blonde would have been happy to live out the rest of her days never seeing an airplane again.

"I'm sorry. My nerves are on edge. Not only am I going back to a home I left, but I'm going back to an ex I left to go through the room of the daughter I lost. To put icing on the pretty pink cake, we've got to fly for hours to even start anything at all."

The smaller woman's words increased in pitch towards the end of her apology and explanation. She knew she was allowing her anxiety and her apprehension to hold the reins of supremacy over her rational and logical thoughts. Picking a fight with her fiance wasn't going to help matters any, she knew that.

Callie smiled weakly at her and closed the distance between them. Rubbing the blonde's left arm with her right hand, she squeezed her shoulder and said, "I know this is going to be difficult, _mariposa_. You're not alone, okay? I was just trying to lighten the mood, honestly. Let's just focus on one thing at a time."

Arizona took a deep, calming breath and met the dark brown eyes she loved so much. Her partner's eyes were the most expressive eyes she'd ever seen. Anything she wanted to know could be found in their dark depths. When the two of them had first begun dating, Arizona had had to stop herself from openly staring at the sultry Latina. So enthralled she was Callie's eyes, her beauty, that the blonde, even now, attempted to limit her blatant ogling.

Grabbing the taller woman's arm, she laced their fingers together and bit her lip.

"One thing at a time, right. So, if we get through the awful flight, can we have dirty hot sex as soon as we get to our hotel room?"

Callie laughed, loudly, at the question. Arizona's child like expression and too cute dimples only made the inquiry that much funnier to her.

"It'll calm my nerves." she heard her partner continue.

"Sure, Ari. As soon as we get to the hotel, I'll make sure I calm your nerves."

The blonde bounced on the balls of her feet, smiled a beaming smile to Callie and grabbed the suitcase at her feet. The taller woman shook her head, grabbed her own suitcase, and followed her partner.

Things were going to be interesting over the next couple of days.

* * *

Terri left her office and made her way to the elevator she knew to be down the hall. Arizona and Callie were, most likely, in flight to Philadelphia, but she wasn't expecting to meet them until the following day.

When she'd returned home from her trip to Seattle, the green eyed woman had come to realize several things. One, love sucked. It played by its own rules and rarely dealt out grand rewards or brownie points to those who were self-sacrificing.

The second thing she'd realized was that she was now officially single. She was no longer holding out for the return of a blonde who had moved on without her. At first, the knowledge that she was no longer attached had been daunting to her. She and Arizona had been together for seven years. Even when the blonde had left her and moved across the country, Terri had still considered the two of them to be together. Together, but separated. All in all, the tall brunette had been involved with the smaller woman for ten years.

Now, at age thirty-six, Terri had come to realize yet another important fact in her life. She needed to move. Not only was her house too large for just one person, it also held within it, memories of a life that no longer belonged to her. Hannah was gone. Arizona had moved on. There was nothing behind the halls of her home that held any reason for her to stay within it.

When she'd finally decided that a move was definitely in order, the impact, the weight of her decision had been crushing. Arizona still had belongings in their home. Hannah's bedroom door had been shut for two years. Her move couldn't be her own because so much more than her was left in the two story brick house.

She'd hated having to call her ex, seeing as how she'd only been absent from her life but a few months. In the end, she'd known that contacting Arizona was for the best. Going through their home and their daughter's room would be just one more step to healing the wounds they both still carried.

As she exited the building, she decided to stop at her favorite diner on her way home. The place was, ironically named 'Teri's'.

The walk across the parking lot was short, but the biting wind and chilly afternoon kept her at a faster than normal pace. Approaching her car, she noticed a tall, attractive red head with stunning blue eyes a few feet away.

Smiling to herself, she took note that she had actually just appraised another woman. Since Arizona's departure, Terri had refused to even consider the possibility of moving on. Now, she was completely free to look at whomever she so chose.

The red headed woman, she noticed, was on her cell phone and looking at a map which was spread out on the hood of her car. Terri smiled as she passed her and the woman did likewise.

As she was unlocking her car, a voice cut across the bitter wind and made her pause.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry to bother you. You look like you're in a hurry."

Terri turned around and wrapped her coat tighter around her body. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she tossed her head to the side in an effort to keep the wind from whipping her hair.

"It's no trouble, really. I was just going for late lunch. Can I help with you anything?" she said, walking closer to the attractive woman.

The woman sighed and Terri noticed the high arch of her eyebrows.

"Well, I hope so. I'm here for a medical conference and I think I've been given the wrong directions. I knew I should have just taken a cab, but I'm known for being a little hard headed."

The green eyed woman smiled and came to stop in front of the lost...doctor? Oh, what a cruel game the fates play with mortals, Terri thought to herself.

"Where were you trying to go?" she asked.

The redhead smiled and replied, "The Ritz-Carlton hotel."

Rubbing her hands together and shoving them back into her coat pockets, Terri raised her own eyebrows.

"Well, you're in luck. It's actually not very hard to get there from here."

"Really? Thank God. I was starting to think I'd have to sleep in this rental car. I'm sorry, I didn;t even get your name." the blue eyed woman said. Her red hair was sliding across her face as the wind picked up.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Terri. I work here." she said, tossing her head to the building behind her. The woman in front of her smiled and stuck out her hand for the brunuette to shake.

"You're a doctor?" she asked.

Terri shook her head. "No, I'm a counseling psychologist, actually. I take it you're a doctor. You mentioned a medical conference?"

"Yeah, neonatal surgeon. Addison Montgomery. Nice to meet you, Terri."

The slender green eyed woman smiled and let her eyes travel across the face of the woman introducing herself. The cold was becoming more of a problem and the wind was starting to howl as it tossed the cold across both of their faces.

"Likewise, Addison. Now, about those directions..."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**-13 months ago-**

The flight from Seattle to Philadelphia was spent in a surprising silence. Arizona had spoken randomly the first hour or so of their flight but soon after, the blonde had fallen silent and become lost in her own thoughts.

Callie, for her part, had maintained her hand's hold on her girlfriends and spent the remainder of their flight dozing. When the plane had finally touched ground several hours later, Arizona had shaken Callie to wakefulness and the two women had departed the cramped quarters.

Now, after claiming their luggage, the two women found themselves standing in the Philadelphia International Airport.

"You okay?" Callie asked as she regarded her partner's profile.

The blonde bit the inside of her cheek and continued to stare at the world on the opposite side of the window before her. It had been over two years since she'd last been in Philadelphia. So many memories, both good and bad, were attached to the place that Arizona wasn't sure what she was supposed to be feeling. She felt as though she was outside of her own body. This world, her past, and her current world, her present, were never supposed to have met. To collided. To become one.

Standing next to Callie, her fiance, in the city of her greatest sorrow left her a woman divided. Hannah was here. Her daughter had been born here. She had taken her first breath in a hospital not far from where Arizona currently stood. She had learned to walk, talk, laugh, cry, play, and love in a house a few miles from this very airport. Hannah's life, her memory, was in Philadelphia.

At the same time, Hannah had suffered here. She had died here, in the same hospital in which she'd first drawn breath. Her story had ended in this damned city. She'd left the world and her mother and the results of that horrible day had had repercussions far into Arizona's future.

The smaller woman didn't know who she was. The woman she'd been, the woman who had lived and loved in Philadelphia, was not the woman she was today. The woman she was today was an attending at Seattle Grace Mercy West hospital. She was head of the pediatrics department. The woman she was today had new friends, new responsibilities, a new home and a new lover.

Her past and present selfs were at odds with one another. Callie's question, though simple in nature, was completely complex in reality. The answer eluded her.

"Hey?" Callie nudged her shoulder. She shook her head and looked to her left where she met her girlfriend's concerned visage.

"Sorry. I-I didn't think this would affect me like this." she said quietly.

The taller woman looked at her with wide brown eyes and a sad smile took over her lips. "Like what?" she asked.

Arizona took a deep breath and held it within her chest for a moment. Turning away from Callie's face, she looked around the airport surrounding the two of them and slowly released the air from her lungs.

"I don't know. Just...like this." she replied.

Callie walked around her and cut off her view of the streets of Philadelphia. She placed her hands, lightly, on the blonde's shoulders and lowered her head so her eyes could meet blue.

"_Mariposa?_" Feel what you have to feel, okay? I'll be with you every step of the way. When everything else just seems to be too confusing, just remember that I'm right her next to you. Let that ground you, angel."

Arizona nodded her head and rubbed Callie's forearm. Stepping forward, she leaned into her partner's body and immediately felt herself becoming lost in the raven haired woman's embrace. She buried her face in Callie's neck and sighed.

"She's here, Callie." she said in a weak voice. "God, she's here."

The darker woman hugged the blonde to her more tightly and kissed the side of her head. She hated that Arizona was having such difficulty, but she knew, in the long run, things would turn out for the better if the smaller woman allowed them to.

"I know, baby. Try to think of that as a good thing. You can connect with her again. You can say goodbye." she said softly into the blonde's hair. She heard Arizona take in a sharp breath at her words and it made her heart catch.

After several minutes, the smaller woman stepped away from her and attempted to smile. Her blue eyes studied her face and she said, "I'm glad I have you here, Calliope."

"Me, too, Ari."

Grabbing her suitcase with one hand and Callie's hand with the other, Arizona turned towards the giant set of glass doors to her right.

"Let's get a cab and get to the hotel. You still need to calm my nerves."

* * *

"Ritz-Carlton hotel, Ten Avenue of the Arts." Arizona said as she settled herself into the back seat of the cab. Callie looked out the window as the car started to move. It had been her idea for the two of them to stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

Not only was the Ritz-Carlton a renowned hotel in cities across the country, it was also in a very historic part of Philadelphia. Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were both historic markers that were in Center City Philadelphia. The hotel, itself, was in a very rustic and venerable building.

When Callie had first brought the hotel to Arizona's attention, the blonde had turned her down stating that the Ritz-Carlton was too expensive. Callie had insisted that money would not be a problem and had, eventually, won the other woman over. She'd informed Arizona that, even though they were going to Philadelphia under tense circumstances, she still wanted to treat the other woman.

As the building slowly came into view, Callie could do nothing but stare openly out of her window. Arizona leaned across her hip and joined her in taking in the impressive sight.

"Calliope..." was all she could say.

She'd seen the hotel before while she was still living with Terri in the city. The two of them had made certain that they'd visited the muesem and other national landmarks over the years of their time together. She'd often passed by the Ritz-Carlton, but she'd never been inside. Seeing it now, with Callie, and knowing that the other woman was paying for their stay made the hotel seem that much more grand.

The building looked like something from Greek mythology mixed with early parliament neoclassical turn-of-the-century structures. Six large, wide pillars supported the imposingly tall roof that was triangular in the front and domed toward the middle.

The two story building was a piece of living history. Three darkened windows hung above the double doors that were surrounded by a tall, equally darkened, pane of glass. To either side of the doors, lamps hung with large oval globes atop them. An American flag waved to passersby between the first and second story windows on the left side of the building.

Cars on the street passed without giving the hotel a second look and pedestrians continued the rigors of their day to day lives in the building's shadow.

As the cab pulled to the front of the building and came to a stop at its entrance, Callie turned her head to her left and looked at Arizona. The blonde's eyes were still looking past her taking in the size and scope of the Ritz-Carlton.

When her eyes focused on Callie, the Latina smiled at her and whispered, "This is my wedding gift to you."

The blonde's brow showed confusion. She opened her mouth to say something but the cab driver's thickly accented voice interrupted her as he informed the two women of their fare.

* * *

If the outside of the building had been impressive, Callie didn't know how to describe the inside. The front lobby was vastly, immensely spacious. The floor gleaned with some brightness, it reflected its surroundings. Like on the outside of the building, the inside also showcased floor ro ceiling pillars. Rich marble walls opened behind to pillars to show black iron staircase leading to the upper floor. A desk, beneath the stairs, glowed with a single lamp's light. Its dark cherry wood set it apart from the white marble around it, but it only added to the lure of the lobby.

In the center of the room, a large rug with a deep salmon and brown pattern held a relaxed looking couch, two heavily cushioned vanilla colored chairs, and three small tables. Each table had small arrangement of pumpkin orange flowers on its top. a Two of them sat next to the chairs and the third, larger than the first two, was rounded and sat in the middle of the furniture.

Callie looked above her and nearly fell over. The ceiling was high. Higher than most any she'd ever seen. The vastness of the lobby was almost overwhelming. Looking farther to her left, she noticed another group of chairs and tables. These were colored in varying shades of orange and red and were surrounded by tall lamps and differing types of potted plants.

"Callie...this place is...wow. I feel like a princess or something." Arizona muttered next to the Latina.

Smiling, the taller woman looked at the blonde and sat, "Well, that's fitting, I guess. Let's get checked in."

**-Present Day-**

Arizona sat at the front of the operating table. Though she was dressed in scrubs with her face behind a surgical mask, she knew she wasn't in the room as a surgeon or a doctor. She was in the room as someone's partner. Someone's mother.

Placing her hands on either side of Callie's face, she leaned forward and placed her forehead against the other woman's. Around her, Addison, Bailey and the residents assisting them, moved as one to begin Callie's delivery.

"Please be okay. Calliope, I can't be in this world without you. I was made to complete you so you _have_ to be here with me."

She whispered the words across the dark skinned woman's brow. They were barely audible and almost choked off by the blonde's heavy emotions.

Addison spared a quick glance in Arizona's direction and was grateful for the mask covering her face. She knew she, most likely, looked stricken.

"She's as stabilized as we're going to get her, Arizona. We're ready to begin."

The smaller woman, sitting in a chair with her face against Callie's, looked up and nodded mutely. Swallowing back her rising fear, she met Addison's blue eyes with her own.

"Please don't let her slip away, Addison."

All Dr. Montgomery could do was nod once and turn her attention to Miranda.

"Let's begin."

**-13 months ago-**

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were stalking me."

"Well, that theory may have held clout if it wasn't for that fact that I was here first. If we add that as a factor, one would be lead to believe that you were stalking me."

Addison laughed openly at the green eyed woman's logic. Terri was sitting at a table facing the streets outside with a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Yeah, I can't really dispute that." she said, still laughing.

Terri's smile widened and her teeth flashed briefly. She looked over her shoulder and past the body of the redhead. Bringing her eyes back up, she asked, "You're here alone?"

Addison's eyebrow raised and her lips pursed.

"You were expecting me not to be?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to be seeing you so soon. You can find this diner but you couldn't find her hotel?" Terri inquired.

Her eyes lit up and a smile spread quickly across her lips. Addison scoffed, playfully, at her and sat down at the table without invitation.

"When I got to the hotel, I asked the woman at the front desk if she knew any really good local places for lunch."

Terri ran her fingers along the rim of her coffee mug and nodded her head. A waitress came over to the table, upon seeing its newest arrival, and asked if the two women would be needing anything.

"Yeah, umm, a coffee and whatever she had." Addison said pointing to the brunette across from her.

The green eyed woman watched as the waitress walked across the diner before bringing her attention back to the attractive woman joining her.

"So, you opted to eat at a diner as opposed to regaling yourself with cuisine prepared by Jennifer Carroll?"

Jennifer Carroll was the Chef de Cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton as well as a finalist on Bravo's Top Chef. Many people around the country came to the hotel just to enjoy her dishes.

Addison laughed and looked at the window.

"Yeah, funny huh? I'm sure, over the next several days, I'll be getting my fill of the hotel's cuisine. This medical conference is going to last several days."

The waitress arrived before Terri could come up with anything to say. She sat down a cup on a saucer in front of Addison and turned her attention to Terri.

"Refill?" she asked.

The brunette nodded in the affirmative and the waitress departed their company once more.

"So, what's you story?" Addison asked suddenly.

Terri licked her lips and raised an eyebrow.

"My story?"

The red head looked up from preparing her coffee to her liking. Reaching for another cream, she said, "Yeah, I mean, this is the second time in less than an hour that I've come across you. That's either really good juju or really bad juju."

Terri couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her throat. The woman across from her was so endearing. Watching her stir sugar and cream into her coffee and talk about...juju? was just too cute to Terri.

"Well, Addison, my story isn't complete yet, so the telling of it would be pretty dull."

Taking a measuring sip of her coffee, the blue eyed woman looked over the rim of her mug and smiled.

"That's just the kind of answer I expected from a therapist."

Terri sighed and looked, once again, out the window. Clouds suffocated the sky and the people walking along the sidewalk hugged their coats and jackets more firmly to their bodies.

"Why don't you tell me what you want to know." she said.

Shrugging her shoulders and leaning back in the chair she was occupying, Addison sighed and held her coffee mug to her chest.

"I don't know...ummm, topical things. You know? Married? Kids? How long have you lived here?"

Silence stretched between them for longer than Addison expected. She watched as Terri fought to keep her expression as neutral as possible.

"Well, I was married. In a sense. Seven years, but something happened and" Terri lowered her eyes briefly, "well, suffice it to say we're no longer together."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was married, too." Addison said, trying to be equally as forthcoming.

"What happened?"

Smirking, the red head replied, "Something happened and we're no longer together."

Terri laughed lightly and reached for her coffee. "Touche"

"So, kids?" Addison asked.

She wasn't sure what it was about the woman across from her, but something was drawing her toward her. Terri had a quality about her that Addison couldn't place. Something about the brunette made her want to open up and get to know her. Addison wasn't normally such a person and it unnerved her slightly.

She watched as Terri reached into the coat hanging on the chair behind her. Pulling out a slim, leather wallet, she produced a small photograph and handed it to her.

Addison took the picture and studied it a moment. It showed a young girl with brown hair, lighter than Terri's, with blue eyes, dimples and an open smile. The child looked to be two years of age. Her hair was curly and done up in pigtails.

"She's beautiful." Addison said, looking back up at Terri. "What's her name?"

Terri shook her head and lowered her eyes. Taking a moment to compose herself, she brought her head back up and answered, "Her name was Hannah. She passed away a few years ago."

The neonatal surgeon started to speak when their waitress interrupted them with her lunch. She sat down a plate in front of Addison that held, what looked like, a hoagie. French fries were scattered around it with a pickle in the corner.

The waitress sat down a small bowl of coleslaw next to the plate and stepped back.

"Italian hoagie with fries. You gonna be wanting anything to drink with that, besides coffee?"

Addison looked up at the older woman then back at Terri. Her green eyes were staring outside again and the red head thought she could see tears.

Glancing back at her lunch, she felt her appetite slipping away the longer she thought of Terri's last words.

"Um, just a water, please."

The woman nodded and walked away. Staring across the table, Addison could feel the easy going nature of her earlier conversation with Terri sneaking away to join her appetite.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is...this probably isn't even real."

Hannah sat more fully on her bed and played with the bow around her bear's neck. Her blue eyes looked older than they should have and Callie thought the sight reminded her, even more, of Arizona.

"CC-"

"Why are you calling me that? This is ridiculous. I'm standing here arguing with my partner's dead daughter. Or...o-or maybe you're an illusion. I'm not going to discuss anything to do with this baby with you."

Silence hung on the air and reached into the far corners of the room. Callie couldn't believe that she'd actually just yelled at Hannah. The longer she was...where ever she was, the more frustrated she became. The 'awe' factor of her reality was fading away only to be replaced by annoyance, fear, and clear confusion.

Was she really conversing with Hannah Marie? Dims? Even if it was possible for her to be speaking with Arizona's daughter, Callie couldn't fathom the idea of discussing her daughter or her conception with the five year old child.

Biting her lip and shaking her head, she took a step forward and was stopped by Hannah's innocent voice.

"Cal-Caei-your name is hard to say, CC. I tried to say your real name when you were sleeping, but I couldn't. You became CC after that."

Callie swallowed back a smile and regarded the young child in front of her. So, Hannah's two failed attempts at pronouncing her name had resulted in 'CC'. She felt awful for having yelled at the blue eyed girl. The overwhelming confusion of her entire situation was causing her to act rashly.

"I'm sorry, Hannah. What decision are you talking about, sweetie?" she asked as she sat down at the foot of the bed.

Colors swirled around them suddenly and items shifted and morphed. Like before, Callie found herself in an entirely new area. She and Hannah were sitting on a large king sized bed with deep green sheets. A window to her right showed the city sky scape of Philadelphia. In front of the window, a table with a single chair was noticeable.

Callie knew where she was. The Ritz-Carlton hotel. The room she was in was the one she'd shared with Arizona months ago when the two of them had come to go through Hannah's room.

Two side tables to the left and right of the bed were brightly polished with three drawers on their fronts. On top of each, a double shaded lamp offered light against the cold and stormy weather outside.

"You met her here. Remember, CC?"

Callie looked toward the window and noticed Hannah sitting in an olive green recliner beneath it. Her small body sank into the chair's cushions.

The Latina didn't ask who the child was speaking of. It had become clear to her that Hannah already knew everything that was in her head anyway. Looking behind her, her eyes settled on the pillows at the front of the bed.

She wished Arizona was here with her. The other woman's steady resolve and calm demeanor would be as if a boon to her now. Without returning Hannah's gaze, Callie replied, "Yes, I remember."

"She told you about it, didn't she?"

Again, "Yes, she brought the procedure to mind. Hannah how is this important?"

Arizona's daughter looked out the window and grabbed her bear to her chest. Her profile was so much like her mother's. Callie studied her for a long time while the child remained remiss to reply. She noted the shape of Hannah's nose and the line of her jaw. Both of those attribute's were shared with Callie's blonde obsession.

"It's important because only we know about them, CC. You never talked to Mommy about it."

Callie lowered her eyes and sighed. Hannah was right. To this day, Arizona still did not know her reasons regarding their daughter's conception. Several times, she had meant to start a conversation with the other woman, to explain things in more depth, but each time she'd been too afraid of Arizona's possible reaction, and so had backed out.

"I want to see her, Hannah. You said you were keeping me here for her. I want to leave. I want to be with her.

Panic was starting to attack the raven haired woman. Answers were in short supply and her current conversation with Hannah was leading to places Callie wanted to avoid altogether. She needed her partner. Her wife.

"You can't see her yet, CC"

The Latina looked to her right and noticed Hannah sitting next to her. The child's blue eyes were staring up at her with worry. Callie watched as the small girl scooted next to her body and leaned her head against her arm.

"I'll make sure you don't get lonely, CC."

Callie sighed and bit back a sob that threatened to leave her body. She was scared. She was frightened by the unknown. She just wanted Arizona. The closest to her girlfriend that she was going to get was in the blonde's daughter. In Hannah.

She allowed her own head to fall to her side and it gently connected with the crown of Hannah's brown curls.

"Tell me about Addie, CC. Tell me about the proce- the prosid-"

"Procedure." Callie said, helping the child with the word.

Hannah snuggled closer to the dark skinned woman and nodded her head. Callie was unsure how talking about Addison or about hers and Arizona's daughter could possibly prove to be beneficial, but it was becoming, increasingly, clear that she had to control over her current situation.

Whether or not Hannah was actually with her was irrelevant. What did matter was allowing things to run their course so she could get back to where she belonged; to Arizona and their daughter.

If that meant talking about Addison Montgomery and the procedure she'd brought up to Callie months ago upon their chance encounter in Philadelphia, then so be it.

**-13 months ago-**

"This room is amazing. I can't believe you're paying for all of this."

Callie smiled as she continued to watch Arizona walk around their hotel room. The blonde was smiling and carrying on like a child in a toy store. Her hands were intent on touching everything while her legs couldn't seem to take her around the spacious room fast enough.

"Well, I _am_ a trust fund baby, so it shouldn't be too hard to believe." she joked.

Arizona turned from the view afforded to her by the window and gave her partner a dimpled smile.

"Thank-you for doing this. You didn't have to."

Callie gave the room a once over before her eyes found blue again. "I know I didn't, baby. I wanted to. Things are pretty tense right now and I wanted to do something to make them...less tense." she finished with a shrug.

The blonde headed woman nodded her understanding and turned back to the window. Outside, several tall buildings, matching the hotel's outside decor, fought for her attention. The sun was low in the sky and its orange glow was beginning to set behind the grayish clouds on the horizon.

Arizona could feel the chill from the outside colliding against the glass of the window. She was in Philadelphia again. When she'd turned away from her life here and left everything behind, she'd promised herself that she would never look back. At the time, she'd had nothing to look back upon. Nothing but misery and the worst pain of her life.

Yet, here she was, standing in the Ritz-Carlton in the one city she'd run away from. Things were too complicated. She could feel her stomach tying itself in knots at the thought of seeing Terri again. Knowing she'd be walking in Hannah's room in the near future caused her to feel light-headed.

Hands on her hips and a soft, familiar body behind her grounded her and assuaged some of her fears.

"I can see you getting yourself worked up, _mariposa._ Try to relax." Callie whispered against the back of her left ear.

She could feel the Latina's breasts against her back and the steady rise and fall of the other woman's breathing. Despite her internal turmoil, the body behind her stirred an alarming arousal in her own.

"You're telling me to relax when you're pressed against me like that?" she breathed out heavily. Her breath caused the window in front of her to fog.

Callie laughed and pressed herself flush against the blonde's back. She heard Arizona gasp and lean a hand against the window for support.

"I thought you wanted me to calm your nerves." she said into her partner's neck.

Moving her right hand from Arizona's hip, she trailed it up a flat stomach and splayed her fingers open. When she felt the blonde's quick intake of air, she moved her fingers to the buttons of the other woman's shirt and started to slowly undo them.

"Calliope...I didn't exactly want you calming my nerves in front of a window."

The taller woman smiled against her neck and backed away from her. Arizona opened her eyes, only just realizing that she'd closed them, and turned herself around to face her lover.

Callie smirked at her and Arizona's heart caught in her chest at the sheer beauty of the other woman. She watched Callie lean toward her again but was disappointed when she only pulled the curtains closed.

Darkness descended upon the room; the only illumination coming from a set of lights running along the ceiling.

Callie could just barely make out the figure of the woman in front of her. Arizona's blouse was open and the lapels of the top only accentuated the contours of her body in the soft light. The raven haired woman lowered her eyes and traced them down a taut stomach. The outline of the blonde's jeans danced across her eyes and seared itself in her mind.

"Come here." Callie said softly.

Arizona closed the distance between them and came to stand directly in front of her partner. Even in the darkness of the room, she could tell that Callie's eyes were dark with arousal.

She placed her hands on the other woman's hips and leaned in to kiss her. Callie turned her head away.

"No, this is about me calming your nerves. Just relax, okay?"

The blonde looked hesitant for a moment before nodding her head. She leaned back slightly, but kept her hands on Callie's body.

The taller woman brought her own hands up and settled them on Arizona's shoulders. Slowly, she ran them down her arms and then back up again.

The hands on her hips grasped her more tightly and she smiled.

Her fingers ran along the collar of the blonde's shirt and she could feel Arizona starting to breathe more heavily against her.

Without warning, she dipped her fingers inside the collar of the dark material and let her hands graze the soft flesh of her partner's neck. Leaning forward, she dropped her head to the crook of Arizona's shoulder and placed a soft kiss against her throat.

Pushing gently with her fingers, she slowly allowed the button up shirt to slide from the blonde's body and land on the floor.

Arizona gasped and moaned softly when she felt the coolness of the room connect with her naked flesh. Callie's warm mouth against her neck caused a beautiful difference of sensations. She moved her hands from Callie's hips and started to move them under her shirt when another pair of hands stopped her.

"Relax, Ari." the Latina whispered. She pulled Arizona's hands away from her body and held them at her sides.

"I can't relax when you touch me."

Callie smiled and leaned her head against the smaller woman's. Arizona, immediately, tried to kiss her, but she backed away again.

"Yes, you can. Behave and let me make you feel good."

The words were almost enough to make her come on the spot. When Callie was of a mind to do something, she normally triumphed. Knowing that she was going to be at the receiving end of that want, that desire, was completely breathtaking to Arizona.

She let her hands in Callie's go slack to signal her compliance. Her breathing was heavy and her knees felt weak. Callie smiled fully at her and released her hands.

Leaning forward again, she kissed the corner of Arizona's mouth before trailing tender kisses to her ear. The blonde inhaled at the electricity the other woman's lips left in their wake. She felt Callie's hands on her sides and she sighed.

"You're perfect to me." the taller woman whispered in her ear.

Moaning her approval of the statement, the smaller woman turned her head to the side to allow Callie's lips more access to her skin. The hands at her sides raked nails up and down her body before stopping suddenly at the waist of her pants.

Callie kissed the tip of the blonde's ear and pulled her head back.

Arizona met her eyes and placed her hands on her partner's chest. She could feel Callie's fingers moving to the front of her pants and she hissed at the pleasure the gesture evoked.

"It's getting harder to relax, Calliope." she panted.

The other woman remained silent and continued to watch her face. Her fingers undid the button on the blonde's blue jeans and slowly brought the zipper down.

"Callie..."

Callie watched as her lover's eyes closed and her brow scrunched slightly. She could hear, as well as feel, the erratic change in the blonde's breathing.

Not giving Arizona time to gain the upper hand, Callie dropped to her knees before her and brought her hands back to the other woman's hips.

Slowly, she pulled the material over the blonde's slender hips and over her legs. Arizona's hands were on her shoulders helping her to remain upright and keep her balance as she freed herself from her pants.

Callie leaned her head forward and kissed the blonde's throbbing center through her underwear. She could already smell the other woman's wetness and it increased her own.

Breathing deeply, the Latina trailed her kisses to Arizona's hip bone and across her lower stomach. Hands in her hair let her know that the blonde was having difficulty in fighting off the sensations.

The raven haired woman stood quickly and kissed her partner fully on the lips. Arizona moaned into her mouth and swept her tongue across her lips. She held the back of Callie's head as if her life depended on it.

The taller woman ran her hands down the blonde's body and over the swell of her buttocks. Squeezing the flesh beneath her fingertips firmly, she wasted little time in lifting her lover off the floor.

Arizona's long legs locked behind Callie's back and the feel of the blonde's half-naked, warm body rocking into her was utter perfection.

She held Arizona to her with one hand and allowed her other to run along the smooth skin of the other woman's left leg. The curves beneath her fingertips were beyond comprehension.

Walking forward, she felt her legs collide with the bed and she leaned forward to place the blonde on the comforter.

Arizona kept her legs around Callie's body as the taller woman joined her on the bed.

"Are you trying to top me, Calliope Torres?" the blonde asked in a playful whisper.

Callie's right hand was still running along the outside of the smaller woman's left thigh and she laughed when she heard the question.

"I top you all the time." she replied.

Arizona shook her head. "No, I let you."

"Are you letting me right now?"

The blonde kissed her wetly and nodded her head, "Yes."

Callie moved the hand she had on Arizona's thigh and brought it around to the front of her panties. Rubbing her fingers slowly along her girlfriend's crease, she was rewarded when she felt an increase in heat.

"You're really wet, Arizona."

The woman beneath her moaned and bucked her hips.

"It's all for you, Calliope."

Callie pushed past her lover's underwear and allowed her fingers to explore the warm, inviting heat of the blonde's folds. Wetness surrounded her fingers and the longer she explored, the wetter her girlfriend became.

Arizona breathed heavily through her mouth and pushed herself against Callie's hand. She no longer felt like joking with the other woman or being teased for that matter. The only thing she desired now was Callie's body becoming one with her own.

Callie removed her hand and the blonde groaned in protest.

"Callie, don't tease."

The taller woman didn't respond verbally. She undid the front clasp of the blue eyed woman's bra and brought her head down to kiss the flesh revealed.

Arizona pushed her hands into her hair and moaned appreciatively. Callie sucked and nipped and kissed the blonde's breasts and nipples for several minutes. With each passing second, the smaller woman would feel the fire between her thighs spreading into her abdomen.

Callie wasn't just making love to her. She was worshiping her body.

When the blonde didn't think she could take anymore, her partner removed her lips from her left nipple and crushed her mouth to her own. She felt Callie's fingers move back under her panties and push easily inside her.

Two digits massaged her inner muscles and filled her completely. She tried to pick up the pace by moving her hips more insistently, but her partner was intent on a slower pace.

"Relax, baby." Callie said against her mouth before kissing her just as slowly.

Arizona wanted to scream. How was she supposed to relax when Callie's fingers were deep inside of her and her lips were pressed into her own. How was she supposed to relax when her own body was demanding a quick release?

Callie ran her tongue softly, gently inside her mouth and pushed her fingers harder inside her sex.

The slow pace with the hard thrusts were leaving the blonde unable to think at all. She slowed the buck of her hips and attempted to meet Callie's slower pace.

"Do you feel me?" the taller woman asked harshly against her ear.

Arizona's hands were still wrapped around Callie head and back while her legs were still grasping the other woman's hips. The tall Latina was everywhere. She was in every one of the blonde's senses. Every inch of her body was insanely aware of the raven haired woman.

Of course she could feel her.

Choking back a pleasurable moan, the blonde responded, "Yes and you feel amazing."

"Remember that when your nerves try to get the better of you."

Before Arizona could come up with a response, she felt the fingers inside of her move faster than before. Faster and harder. Being articulate was no longer on her mind. Her basest human desires overtook her and all she could do, wanted to do, was feel the tremors she knew were coming.

As if on cue, Callie flicked her thumb across her clit and pushed into her one last time. Her orgasm screamed through her body and released itself fully from her throat. Though her body stilled and tightened around her partners, Callie's fingers continued to move inside of her and draw forth every last pulsation she had to offer.

She could feel her wetness, the painfully obvious evidence of her pleasure, sliding down her opening and around Callie's fingers. Her earlier fears and trepidation were washed away by the force of the feelings coursing through her. Feelings Callie had brought about.

A moment later, her lover removed herself from inside her and soft, tender lips kissed her eye lids.

"Was that you letting me top you?"

All the blonde could do was laugh and wrap her arms around the body above her.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

**-13 months ago-**

"You still have your clothes on." Arizona said, her speech slightly slurred.

Callie laughed and kissed the blonde's lips. Settling down on Arizona's right side, she laid her head against the pillow and inhaled the scent of the woman she loved.

Arizona's chest was still heaving and an occasional, appreciative, moan would escape her lips. Callie withdrew her fingers from her partner but kept her fingers between the other woman's legs.

"Well, this was about pleasing you and calming your nerves, baby. My clothing didn't seem important at the time." the taller woman said. Her fingers were stroking lightly through the blonde's sex and the gesture left Arizona feeling extremely sated.

"It is important. I want to feel your skin. Take them off."

Callie glanced across the pillow and noticed that her lover's eyes were still closed. Gentle tugging on the sleeve of her shirt informed her of Arizona's impatience. Sitting up, she quickly divested herself of her clothing and cuddled down against the pleasing warmth of the blonde.

Arizona turned to face her and buried her face in her neck. Callie smoothed her fingers over her partner's arm and across her hip. Tanned fingers tenderly traced the inside of the smaller woman's waist and finally came to settle, once again, between her legs.

She felt Arizona lift her leg slightly and before she long, her fingers were surrounded by the other woman's heat. Both women knew there was nothing sexual about Callie's touch. The Latina was only attempting to connect with the blonde. To be close. Both surgeons were aware of that.

Callie exhaled and smiled at the happiness her heart felt in this single moment. Arizona's lips were kissing her neck softly and the feel of her breath against her skin was alluring and intoxicating.

Silence washed across them both and Callie was almost convinced that the blue eyed woman had drifted to sleep. Teeth against her throat and a questing hand gliding across the curve of her hip suggested otherwise.

"Arizona, what are you doing?" she said through a giggle.

"Attempting to return the favor. Roll over." the blonde said, pulling her head back to look down into her girlfriend's face.

The taller woman resisted and shook her head. "No, baby. I don't need you to do that. Just lay here with me."

Arizona scrunched her eyebrows together and brought her hand, that had been on Callie's hip, up to her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked with concern.

The raven haired woman smiled and, using the hand between the blonde's leg, gently cupped her sex.

"I just want to be here with you, Arizona. Tomorrow, you're going to face some pretty heavy emotions. Tonight, I want you to feel me. I want us to exist in our own little world."

The smaller woman's face was unreadable. The darkness of the room greatly reflected the feelings battling within her heart. Seeing her partner's dark eyes staring up at her so lovingly and feeling the connection between their bodies so intensely, Arizona couldn't help but feel more of her anxiety fading away.

Lying back down and pulling Callie's body closer to her own, the blonde gently kissed her lover's nose and said, "We can exist in our own little world for as long as you want, sweetheart." Her lips brushed across the other woman's brow. "For as long as you want."

**-Present Day-**

"Mark, there you are. Would you please tell me what's going on?"

Mark Sloan turned away from the O.R room he'd been heading towards when he heard Teddy Altman's voice behind him.

"Teddy, I need to check on Arizona."

The hazel-eyed woman quickly jogged around him and blocked his path to the door behind her. He looked...older to her somehow. His worry over the situation made him appear almost a stranger. Teddy couldn't figure out if the majority of his worry was over Callie or Arizona.

"Okay, that's enough! What the hell are you talking about? Since when would your presence help Arizona in the slightest? And who the hell is Hannah?"

Mark sighed and scratched his hand over his mustache. He knew Teddy was confused. Hell, he's been just as confused when he'd first found out about the small young child. The battle within him now, was whether or not to betray Callie's and Arizona's trust but divulging what he knew to Teddy.

Part of him felt as though he'd be justified in the retelling of the information because Teddy was Arizona's best friend. That fact, coupled with the dire consequences of their current situation, made a very large part of Mark want to tell the woman in front of him everything.

Add to the fact that, once the baby was born, and others found out about her conception, questions would naturally arise anyway; Mark believed trusting Teddy now would prove beneficial.

The other, and small part of him, didn't want to pass out information that wasn't his to give in the first place. If things worked out for the best, and God how Mark hoped they would, how would he tell his friends that he had betrayed their trust? Would the issue even matter anymore, given everything else?

"Mark?" Teddy asked after a long silence.

Behind her, in the O.R room, Addison and Bailey were delivering Arizona's and Callie's first child. Their daughter. She could almost feel her friend's fear from behind the closed doors and it made her nauseous.

Mark squared his jaw and looked down at his feet. If this situation turned out for the worse, Arizona would be beside herself with grief. She'd need her friends to comfort her and take care of her. The fewer questions she had to answer, if that possibility became a reality, the better.

Looking up again, he somberly met Teddy's hazel eyes and said, "Hannah was Arizona's daughter."

Teddy opened her mouth and glanced back at the door behind her.

"Wha-what?" Turning back to face Mark, "I thought this child was their first-"

"Not Callie's and Arizona's first child. Just Arizona. She had a daughter, Teddy, before she ever came here and met Callie."

The heart surgeon couldn't seem to make herself form any words. Her very brain was having difficulty in connecting her thoughts. How could she not have known about this? How could Mark Sloan know something so personal about her best friend when she did not?

A daughter? Where was the child? Had she passed away? There was so much she didn't know. Was the situation not so dire, Teddy would have smacked Mark for making such an awful joke. Looking into his stormy grey-blue eyes, she knew beyond a doubt that the man was dead serious.

"How do you kno-"

Her words were cut short when the door behind her burst open. Bailey was pushing a transport incubator out of the door and Teddy inhaled sharply when she got her first look at Callie and Arizona's daughter.

The tiny little human was connected to an I.V pump and Teddy could see a cardio-respiratory monitor as well. Dark, slightly curly, hair and honey warmed skin were just barely visible as Dr. Bailey rushed past them.

"Is she okay, Miranda?" Teddy asked, moving out of the way.

"We're moving her to NICU, but Addison has high hopes." Bailey threw over her shoulder as she hurried down the long corridor.

Turning back to the room, Teddy noticed Mark was already at the doors. She hurried up to him and together they opened the door. Neither of them entered the room as it was still a sterile environment.

They noticed Addison at the foot of the table that held Callie. Most of her tall frame was hidden from view by the medical curtain she sat behind. Arizona was at the head of the bed, her blonde curls lying on her partner's face and her slender hands under Callie's chin.

"Arizona?" Mark called out to her.

The blonde swallowed and opened her eyes. She saw Teddy and Mark standing in the doorway looking worried.

"She's beautiful." she said, simply.

Teddy glanced up at Mark and smiled at her friend. "She is, Arizona. I saw her. Why don't we go to the NICU, honey. You need to be with her while Dr. Montgomery finishes here."

"Is Callie gonna be okay, Addison?" Mark asked suddenly.

The red head raised an eyebrow and looked at the blodne at the opposite end of the table.

"She's under heavy sedation. We won't know anything for a few hours."

Arizona cringed at her words and closed her eyes again. She felt torn. She didn't know where she was needed more. Her partner had just given birth to their daughter and was now fighting for her life while her daughter was being rushed to NICU. She wanted to go and see her.

Everything had happened so fast, that she'd barely gotten to see her before Bailey had rushed out of the room. Everything was happening around her so quickly, yet she felt as though her responses could only come about slowly.

"Arizona?" Addison asked in a soft voice.

Looking up, but keeping her hands on Callie's skin, she met the other woman's eyes.

"I'll make sure she's okay. Once she's in a room, you can come and see her. Go be with your daughter right now."

The blonde held the red head's gaze for a moment before looking back down at her lover. Callie remained just as silent as she'd been throughout the birth. Kissing her forehead through her surgical mask, Arizona sniffed and nodded her head.

"Calliope, she's here. You have to wake up so you can meet her, baby. She's perfect just like you."

Teddy and Mark watched from the doorway and both were stunned into silence by the bitter-sweetness of the moment.

**-13 months ago-**

Callie and Arizona pulled up to a large two story brick house in a very suburban neighborhood. The rental car they'd chosen quietly came to a stop in the long, paved driveway.

Callie looked around at the yard and other houses in her view and bit back her own anxiety. Arizona had lived here. She had brought her daughter home to this house. She'd made love to her ex in this house. She'd built and had a life in this very neighborhood.

"You ready?" the blonde asked her, unbuckling her seat belt.

Nodding her head and forcing a smile to her face, the Latina said, "Yeah, I'm with you, _mariposa_."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

**-Present Day-**

Four days after Callie had given birth to their daughter, Arizona found herself in Callie's room. Teddy had made a trip to their home and picked up several articles of clothing as well as other necessities for an extended hospital stay.

Addison had informed Arizona that Callie was in a post eclamptic coma. In the same breath, the tall red head had reminded the small blonde that such a turn of events was common after what Callie had been through.

Both Addison and Dr. Bailey had promised to monitor Callie as closely as possible and inform her of any changes.

Sitting next to Callie's bed, Arizona smiled sadly and looked down to the child in her arms. Their daughter had only remained in NICU for three days. Dr. Montgomery had wanted to ensure that she received enough oxygen and that she was healthy enough to function of her own.

Now, a day after being released from NICU, having one check up after another, and enough shots to cause the blonde to cringe, the newest addition to Callie's and Arizona's life was sleeping soundly in the blonde's arms.

Arizona had brought her to Callie's room so she could meet her other mother.

"Calliope?" Arizona said the name quietly. She knew she would receive no response, but she continued to speak as if she had. She held out hope that the sound of her voice would, somehow, reach her partner and allow her something to hold on to.

"I've brought someone to see you, baby. She is so amazing, Callie. So perfect."

Callie remained silent. The only sounds coming from her were the monotonous beeps of the machines monitoring her.

Arizona held back her tears and smiled down at the small infant in her care. Leaning forward in her chair, she lightly kissed her daughter's brow.

"This is your Mama C, your _mami_." she said to the child.

Glancing back up at her partner, the blonde introduced her to their child.

"Calliope, you really need to wake up. You need to see her. Our little Daniella Aña is here, baby."

Daniella chose that moment to fuss and her cries broke out against the white noise of the room. It was almost as if she knew her mother was unconscious and wanted only to wake her. Her small hands, balled into tiny fists, waved aimlessly around her perfect face.

Arizona gently rocked her and brought her closer to her body. Shushing her daughter and humming lightly against her skin, she wished with everything she was for Callie to awake. She needed the other woman to experience their child.

She was already in love with Daniella. Completely. But, she wasn't supposed to have been the only one of them to have held her.

Standing from the chair next to Callie's bed, she carefully sat down next to her, lowered their daughter and placed her gently on Callie's chest. Keeping one hand under Daniella's head, she used the other to bring Callie's left hand up to join her own.

The small infant quieted instantly. Her eyes, a milky shade of blue, stared at Arizona a moment before lowering and finally closing as she drifted into an easy slumber.

The blonde smiled and felt her breath catch. Looking up at her lover, she said "See? She needs you here, Calliope. We both need you here."

**-13 months ago-**

"Arizona, Callie. How was the trip?" Terri asked, smiling, as she exited her front door and greeted the two woman who had just pulled into her driveway. The chilly morning air bit at her skin.

Her nerves were already shot and her apprehension over going though Hannah's room was causing her stomach to have fits. She knew Arizona was, most likely, in the same state of affairs with her. The two of them had not been together, in their home, for two years. Hannah's room had not been entered, once, during that time.

Now, years later, she and her ex, along with her ex's current love, were going to close the door on another chapter of their intricately woven lives. Saying she was nervous was a massive understatement.

Callie smiled at her and Terri noticed, for the first time, how nice the Latina's smile actually was. Nodding her head in acknowledgment, the tall brunette, shoved her hands into her back pockets and focused her attention on the blonde walking towards her.

"Well, the flying part of the trip was nerve wracking. The pilot must have just gotten his license because, I swear, we hit more "turbulence" than we should have." Arizona ranted in response to Terri's easy going question.

The closer she and Callie had gotten to her old home, and thus Hannah's room, the more on edge she'd noticed herself becoming. Her partner's presence helped ease matters, slightly, but she still continued to experience an unsettling feeling in the center if her chest.

Complaining about her flight seemed the best way to avoid and ignore her anxiety.

"She's giving you the PG version of her flight experience." Callie joked, following her girlfriend up the driveway."

Terri laughed and moved to allow the two women to walk up the short set of stairs leading to the porch.

"I imagine she is. She always hated flying."

Arizona rubbed her hands on the sides of her jacket and stopped when she met Terri at the front door of her old home.

"Apart from the flight, seeing the city again has been...really awesome." she said quietly as she regarded her ex.

The blonde's voice faded to the background of Callie's thoughts. Her head was turning from one direction to another as she took in the large brick house around her. The home was three-sided with white trim. She could see black shutters as well as a grey-shingle roof.

Keystone accents could be seen above the windows as well as the front entrance of the house. Trees towered over the roof and spread out behind the large structure, seemingly, guarding it from any unwelcome intrusion. Several dark green bushes lined the outside wall of the house and made quick company with the many windows that Callie could see.

She was unsure if Terri did the landscaping or if she paid someone to do it, but either way, she found herself impressed with the yard wrapping itself around the house.

The home she and Arizona had moved into was nice, extravagant even, but the house she currently stood outside of, spoke even farther on Terri's expensive tastes.

"Baby, are you coming?"

Arizona's voice invaded her consciousness and she realized that she'd become lost in her own thoughts. Turning away from her open gazing, she brought her eyes back to her partner's and smiled shyly.

"Sorry, just admiring the place." she said to Terri, in way of an explanation.

Both she and Arizona smiled. When she joined them on the porch, she felt the blonde wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close.

"Well, let's not stand outside all day. Come on in, you two. I'll get you both something to drink." Terri said entering the front door.

If Callie was impressed with the outside, then she had no words to describe the inside. Arizona had never struck her as the flashy, ritzy type, but apparently, Terri had held more sway over certain details. One of those details being elaborate home comforts.

Light polished wood gleamed in front of her as the three woman entered the house. A small black rug at the door greeted them. To the right of the door, a dark brown table held a phone and a writing pad.

Directly in front of Callie, a massive winding stair case, with the same light brown wood as the floor, led to the second story of the house. It's railing was also a light brown, but with white trim.

Another rug a few feet in front of her caught her attention. It was a dark green with white edges. An intriguing pattern held her gaze and when she turned her head, she noticed Terri to her right.

Her green eyes were looking past her and focusing on the blue eyes of her partner.

"Are you okay, Zona?" the brunette asked.

Arizona swallowed and stepped further into the foyer. Her head turned to her left. The light pouring into the room bathed everything in a natural glow. She could see that Terri had left everything, basically, the same.

"You're welcome to look around, Arizona. It's not like you don't know your way."

Terri's humorous, dry tones caused her to smile. The other woman was correct. This had been her home, once upon a time, and several of the belongings in it had, also, once been hers.

"Thanks, Terri." she replied mutely, stepping towards the living room.

The brunette nodded once before, "I'll just get us something to drink. Callie? Anything specific?"

Hearing her name, the Latina took her eyes off of her girlfriend and turned around to face Terri. "Um, anything with caffeine is fine."

Terri nodded and headed in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Callie and Arizona alone.

When Callie turned back towards the blonde, she noticed the other woman was already standing in the middle of the living area.

A large window took up most of the space on the wall to her left. Two salmon colored chairs sat beneath the window with a single, round table between them. A lamp joined the table and sitting against its base was a picture of a younger Arizona holding a small young girl.

Hannah.

Sitting along the wall to Callie's left was a small piano with a wooden bench. The seat of the bench was a plush turquoise. Running along the top of the piano were several more framed photos. Most were of Hannah, but a few of them showed Terri or Arizona.

The right side of the living room held a white couch with a floral design. On either side of it, two small tables, round like the one opposite of them, each held a lamp. In front of Callie and directly in front of the couch, an oval glass table supported several issues of 'Psychology Today'.

Callie took another step into the room and watched her lover. The other woman was studying every item in the room with avid interest. Her hands would, occasionally, reach out and touch one piece or another.

Callie noticed a large rug beneath her feet that covered most of the floor. It was lightly colored with a wild display of vines and leaves wrapping around its edges. At the other end of the rug, in front of Callie, a massive, dark hardwood bookcase hugged the wall. The left side of the bookcase held several books, medical journals, encyclopedias, and reference guides. The right side was covered by a glass windowed set of doors with three shelves behind them. On those shelves, a beautiful arrangement of bells, small figurines, painted plates and other knick-knacks could be seen.

"Arizona?" Callie asked, cautiously.

The woman in question stilled the fingers she had on a picture frame, and turned to face her. Her blue eyes were uncertain and the tall Latina found that she couldn't read her lover's expression.

"She loved this room." the blonde said before looking around he once again.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She moved to stand next to the piano and carefully ran her fingers over the wood covering the keys.

"I'd come home sometimes to find her asleep on the couch. She always said she liked to feel the sun on her face."

Arizona's voice had an almost dream like quality about it. The memories and the stories attached to her old home seemed to have her in a powerful vice-like grip. They kept her attention and continued to whisper themselves in her ear.

Callie smiled at the other woman's words. She could just imagine Hannah sunbathing on the couch next to her. The idea, the thought, left her with an unplaced feeling.

"I'm not sure I can do this." Arizona whispered suddenly.

The dark skinned woman shook her head and moved to the smaller woman's side. Touching her elbow lightly with her right hand, she brought her left to Arizona's chin and turned her face towards her own.

"You can do this. You need to do this. It'll help and you know it." Callie said softly.

The blue eyed woman sniffed back a breath and locked her jaw. Her gaze remained on her partners.

"I'll never be okay with her passing. You know that, don't you? I know it'll help and I know I need to do this, but she is everywhere I look, Calliope. This city. This house. She's everywhere."

Callie listened sadly to her girlfriend's words. Though Arizona had come to terms, as best as one could given the situation, with Hannah's death, Callie knew that the other woman would always possess a void in her heart due to that fact.

Listening to the blonde, the dark haired woman fought with her own fears, once again. When the two of them decided on having children, would Arizona be able to connect with them? Would she feel strongly enough about a child conceived by Callie to call it her own? Was even the idea of a family plausible at all?

Losing a child wasn't something a person just overcame with time. It wasn't something someone just put aside. Callie could only imagine what her partner's loss felt like. What she'd seen and been through with Arizona since finding out about Hannah, had given her a vague idea.

The same nagging voice that had assaulted and tormented her in her bathroom the day Terri had called them came to her again. It's sickly sweet whispers burrowed into her mind like the mythological Furies. It told her that Arizona would never feel anything for their children like she had felt for Hannah. It informed her that starting a family with the other woman would only break them apart in the long run.

The voice, crazed as it was, even went so far as to tell her that her partner could very well go back to Terri if things ended badly between them.

Her logical mind fought with the frenzied voice of irrational fear. It reminded her of everything Arizona had said to her. Everything she'd done for her. They were engaged to be married. They were living together in a home they'd purchased together. Her little voice of reason tried, again, to remind her of the fact that Arizona had come to her and promised her their future children. Not the other way around.

Fear and rational thought seemed to cancel one another out because Callie found that she couldn't listen to one over the other with any amount of success.

"I know, baby. I told you I'm here for you, okay? No one is rushing you here. There's not right and wrong. She's your daughter, Arizona. You owe it to her to do this. You owe it to yourself, _mariposa._"

Arizona looked down at her feet and sighed. The feeling of Callie's hands on her elbow and face were a grounding comfort. The other woman was right. She did owe both herself and Hannah the opportunity that had been presented to them.

"You're right, Calliope." the blonde breathed out. "Thank you for being my sounding board."

Sounding board.

The words were a sick joke to Callie. She was battling with her own fears, yet, her partner found in her the voice of reason she, herself, was having so much difficulty listening to.

Smiling, she leaned forward and gently kissed the smaller woman. A voice behind her caused her to jump.

"Drinks are up." Terri said, entering the living room.

* * *

"You wanted her to love her."

Hannah's statement didn't require any input from Callie. The tall Latina stared at the ceiling an sighed as she, nervously, tapped her foot on the floor.

"Having Mommy's baby was your way of making sure she did. Right, CC?"

Callie bit the inside of her cheek and turned her head towards Hannah's voice. The small, blue eyed girl was staring openly at her. There was no accusation in her words.

"I just wanted her to be able to connect with our baby, Dims. Having her child...well, there were a lot of reasons that factored into that decision."

Brown eyes were sad as they scanned over the young girl's face. Hannah pursed her lips and lowered her brow in thought. Callie thought the display was utterly endearing. Finally, after a moment, Hannah brought her eyes back to her own and said, "I was the main reason, huh?"


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

**-13 months ago-**

Callie, Arizona, and Terri had spent another hour of their visit going through different rooms of the blonde's old house. Each room had brought about several conflicting emotions to Arizona's memory. When the three women left the den and headed in the direction of Hannah's room, Arizona felt her heart rise into her throat.

Going through her old house had left her feeling vacillant. One room had brought about fond memories of her daughter. She'd smiled when she'd remembered Hannah sliding on a rug that had accompanied the floor. Another room had carried her into a sense of deep loss. The room had been the one she'd been standing in when she'd first suspected that Hannah may have been sick.

With each room she, Callie and Terri went through, her mind fought to understand, digest and overcome each new emotion. Callie had remained, unnaturally, quiet throughout their small excursion. The only responses Arizona had garnered from her partner had been an occasional smile, nod of a head, or a tight hand squeeze.

She wasn't sure if something was bothering the Latina or if she was just trying to take in everything and be as supportive as she could. Either way, Arizona was grateful for her presence.

"You two slept together a lot in there." Terri said, breaking into the ramblings of her inner thoughts.

She blinked and turned her head towards Terri's voice. The tall brunette was smiling a small half smile at her and her eyes were alight with a familiar glimmer.

Not sure if she'd missed some of the other woman's words, Arizona looked confused a moment before, "What?"

Terri nodded in the direction of the den behind them. "You and Hannah. I can't remember all the nights I'd awakened to find you in there with her."

Arizona felt tears well up in her blue eyes, but they didn't fall. Smiling, she tightened her grip on Callie's hand and nodded her head.

"Yeah, she liked it in there. I think the sound of the clock lulled her to sleep."

Green eyes lowered and when they focused once again on Arizona, the blonde noticed tears in them. Terri smiled again, her perfect features only becoming enhanced by the gesture.

"Hmm, I always thought it was you, Arizona. She'd fall asleep with me in there when you had to work late, but never like she did when you were with her. It was you."

Arizona bit her lip and felt a small sob escape her mouth. As far as half cries went, it was relatively a happy one, brought about by too much emotion being present in one body. She felt Callie release her hand and wrap her arm around her waist. Leaning into the warm and comforting body next to hers, she looked over her shoulder at the den behind them.

_"Mommy, you 'wead'."_

_Arizona leaned back in the recliner and focused her attention on the vibrant and, very much awake, two year old in her lap._

_"You need to go to sleep, Dims. Mommy has to go to work tomorrow."_

_Hannah bounced in her lap and leaned forward until her face was level with her mother's. Placing her hands on Arizona's cheeks, she giggled and said, "You 'wead'. I 'sweep'._

_The blonde started to smile at her daughter's adamant display, but a yawn cut the gesture short. Picking Hannah up and settling her between her body and the armrest of her chair, Arizona picked up a book resting on the side table to her left._

_"Okay, if I read this, you have to promise to be super awesome and go to sleep." she said, raising an eyebrow in Hannah's direction._

_The small girl smiled, her dimples brightening her, already, adorable face. Pulling at the drape slung across her mother's lap, she attempted to get as comfortable as she could. Arizona noticed the attempt and helped her to cover up before opening the book and beginning to read._

_"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in..."_

_A few moments later, the blonde yawned, again, and flipped the last page of the book._

_"Goldilocks ran down the stairs, opened the door, and ran away into the forest. And she never returned to the home of the three bears."_

_Looking to her right, Arizona noticed that Hannah was fast asleep. Her head was leaning against the blonde's shoulder and her hair was falling in light curls around her face. Adjusting slightly, Arizona made to move the two of them when a small whimper of protest stopped her actions._

_"Wead, Mommy...'wead'"_

_Sighing, the small woman leaned back against the cushions of her chair and pulled the drape over their bodies. Hannah, immediately settled along her frame and a small hand grabbed a fistful of the blonde's shirt._

_"Night night mommy."_

"You okay?" Callie asked.

A pair of concerned brown eyes held her attention. Arizona blushed and shook her head. She hated being the center of so much attention. Although Callie and Terri, both, were only worried about her and her well being, constantly being fussed over was not something she was used to.

"Yeah, there's just a lot to process. She's everywhere, Callie. Her memory feeds my soul." her voice trailed off when her eyes found Terri's.

The brunette's green eyes were darker than normal and her shoulders were slightly sagged. It dawned on Arizona that Terri was, most likely, about to relive her own memories of Hannah. She had not been in their daughter's room since Arizona had. The difference between the two of them, was that Terri had no one to lean on. She had no one to offer support when her emotional burden became too heavy.

Arizona had Callie. Terri had herself. She'd only had herself to rely upon the entire time she'd been living in their old home. The memories she and Arizona had created years ago had been, and still were, a constant reminder of everything she'd lost.

Seeing her ex leaning against the wall outside Hannah's room, Arizona felt an overwhelming sadness at the knowledge of everything Terri had been through.

Stepping away from Callie, the blonde walked over to her ex and placed a hand on her shoulder. When Terri looked up at her, curious surprise marked her face.

"How have you stayed here, Terri?"

Terri took a deep breath and noticed Callie watching the two of them. Turning her head, she stared at the door to Hannah's room and collected her thoughts. When she and Arizona had discovered Hannah's illness, she had been the one who had tried to remain positive while at the same time, remain realistic.

Hannah's prognosis had been promising at first and Terri had pushed her own worries aside so that she could remain strong for Arizona. The blue eyed woman had been completely oblivious to most of the outside world. Her only concern, her only focus, had been her daughter. She'd stayed with Hannah nearly every minute of every day.

Terri had continued to try to keep their friends and parents in the loop on Hannah's condition while, at the same time, also keep Arizona up to date on everything she was pushing to the background on her life.

There hadn't been time for Terri to fear for the worst. So, she'd been calm, cool, and collected and hoped for the best. When Hannah's illness had taken a sudden turn for the worst, the impact had been enormous. Arizona had withdrawn even more and Terri had tried, nearly in vain, to bury her own fear.

Things had finally come to a head when Arizona's brother had died. The short time between Danny's death and Hannah's had been witness to the growing divide between Arizona and herself.

Staring now at the woman who had left her, Terri found that she couldn't answer her question. Their home was her home. It had been the anchor that had kept her alive when Arizona had left. It's memories, it's possessions, were the only reminders Terri had left of her past life.

Though she'd since come to terms with the blonde's departure, there were still ties she had to their home that she didn't think would ever fade. Remaining in their home, surrounded by memories of both Arizona and Hannah, had been both a blessing and a curse.

After her visit to Seattle months ago and her subsequent return to Philadelphia, Terri had finally realized that it was time for her to move on. Her home was, now, more of a curse than a blessing. It's memories more painful than heart lifting. Two years after Hannah's passing, the tall brunette now, fully, felt the grief that should have come long ago.

She'd been able to face that grief while in Seattle but her return home had only brought it to life once more. Smiling at Arizona, Terri replied to her softly spoken question, "You know how stubborn I've always been."

The blonde watched her and Terri knew that Arizona was aware of the fact that she was avoiding the question. She was relieved when Arizona didn't push her. Instead, the smaller woman squeezed her shoulder and asked, "Are you ready?"

Terri took another deep breath before nodding her head. She noticed Callie hanging back behind them.

"You two go ahead." the tall Latina said, taking a seat in a chair against the wall.

Arizona turned around swiftly and regarded her with confused eyes.

"Calliope?" she questioned.

_"Mariposa."_

Terri looked from the blonde in front of her to the raven haired woman behind them. She'd heard Callie call Arizona '_mariposa_' before. Apparently, it was the woman's preferred term of endearment. Terri wasn't sure if she should say anything or not so she chose to remain silent.

Arizona stepped away from her and moved the short distance to Callie's chair. Squatting, she placed her hands on her partner's thighs and looked up at her.

"I need you with me, Calliope." she whispered.

Callie's, impossibly, dark eyes met her own and Arizona noticed something in them she couldn't quite place.

"I feel like I'm intruding, Arizona. This is something you and Terri need to do."

The blonde smiled sadly. "You're right. I do need to do it, but I need you with me. You didn't know her, but you're both a part of me which means that you couldn't possibly be intruding. Share this with me." Arizona pleaded. "Please."

Callie held her eyes for a long moment. She hated feeling the way she had been. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to shake her unwanted fears. They haunted her steps like elusive shadows. They invaded her mind and clouded her judgment. For so long, Arizona's past had been a mystery to her. She'd longed to know every detail about the other woman.

When she'd finally gotten a glimpse of what she'd sought so fervently, Callie had been unable to fully process the information for a long time. Now, things had had time to settle and become real. Become fact. Become a part of her life as well as Arizona's.

It was overwhelming to her and she hated that.

But, her fiance was kneeling before her, now, begging for her support, her company. She was pleading with, immensely, blue eyes and asking for her. Her. Callie Torres. How could she say no?

_"Sí, mi amor_." she said as she grabbed one of the blonde's hands on her lap.

The grateful smile that appeared on Arizona's face and the shaky breath she released was almost enough to nullify Callie's insecurities. Standing and facing Hannah's room, Callie followed Arizona and Terri into Hannah's room.

* * *

"I was the main reason, huh?"

Callie said nothing. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest and her mind was drawing blanks. Hannah's innocent but knowing expression was only making matters worse.

"I'm dead, aren't I? This-this is the judgment part, isn't it?" she asked.

The child on the bed stopped playing with the bear in her hands and her sparkling blue eyes said more with her silence.

Callie stood quickly and turned away from Hannah. Everything was becoming nothing. Nothing was becoming everything. Nothing made sense. She was tired of being wherever she was. She was tired of riddles and games. All she wanted was her Arizona. Arizona and their daughter.

She felt the familiar tug of darkness on her skin. It's static shock tingles grasped at her flesh and attempted to coax her away from everything causing her so much confusion. It was welcome. She felt as if she'd been away from Arizona for months. The more she told 'Hannah', the longer she seemed to remain wherever she was. 'Hannah' offered no answers, just more questions.

Maybe, she thought, 'Hannah' was the true darkness. Perhaps, if she allowed the surrounding vortex to overcome her, she'd be taken back to herself. Her life. Arizona.

"You know that's not true, CC."

She ignored the voice. It wasn't hard, seeing as how her sense of hearing was slowly being drowned out by the darkness engulfing her.

"Do you want to see her?"

Callie swallowed and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred and there was a popping sound in her ears. She felt dizzy, disoriented. Hannah was standing in front of her, but her small body was fuzzy and without definition.

"Who?" she asked, but she couldn't hear her voice.

There was a moment of silence and Callie feared that she'd be unable to hear Hannah's answer. She shook her head and blinked several times in an effort to overcome her lack of control.

As her vision started to clear, she noticed she was in a hospital room. Slowly, colors painted the shadowy gray and inky black walls around her and she recognized the familiar surroundings of Seattle Grace Mercy West.

"You're not dead, CC. You're hurt and I'm keeping you company until you can get back to her. She needs looking after and I can't do that anymore."

Turning around, her vision clearing more as she did, Callie's gaze focused on Hannah sitting on an empty hospital bed. In front of her, in a chair, was Arizona. Her blonde hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head and in her arms, a sleeping infant was securely held.

Callie felt her breath leave her body quickly as her knees tried to give out beneath her. "Arizona..." she cried softly and walked towards her.

"She can't see you, CC. Not like this, anyway."

Hannah didn't look at her as she spoke. Instead, her steady blue eyes remained focused on her mother. She swayed her feet, nervously, where they hung off the side of the bed.

Callie swallowed back a sob but she was unable to stop the flow of tears that fled from her eyes. Covering her mouth with her hands, the brown eyed woman slowly walked towards her partner. Arizona remained oblivious to her actions and continued to sing softly to the baby in her arms.

"She's waiting for you to get better so you can come back, CC."

Hannah's words barely made sense to Callie. Her attention belonged completely to Arizona.

"Is that...umm, is-is that my daughter?" she asked. Her words were tightly spoken and hoarse.

The child in her partner's arms was wrapped in a swaddle. On top of her head, a pink cap covered her lightly curly hair and her hands were covered in matching pink mittens. Her dark skin only enhanced the clothing and Callie smiled.

She traced her eyes over a small, button nose and over a set of perfect little lips. Long eyelashes laid gently on the child's cheeks and the tiny tips of her ears could, just barely, be made out from under her cap.

Hannah didn't answer her. She didn't have to. Callie kneeled in front of Arizona and wished, more than anything, that she could touch the two of them.

_"Hola,mija. Eres tan perfecta_." she whispered.

Daniella yawned and made a face before becoming motionless again. Callie looked up at Arizona's face and noticed the happy, content expression covering her features. The blonde's eyes were shining as they continued to regard the small life in her care.

"When your Mama C wakes up, we'll have to get her to sing to you. She has a much better voice than I do." Arizona said softly to Daniella.

Callie looked confused and turned towards Hannah. When she did so, the room around her disappeared and she noticed she was back in her hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton.

"No! Take me back to them!" she yelled.

Hannah appeared in front of her and looked sad. She no longer had her bear in her hands.

"I can't, CC."

"You said that before, but you let me see them." Callie countered.

The small child shook her head. "No, not me. You did, CC. You're very stubborn. Like mommy."

Callie couldn't make sense of what she was hearing. What was Hannah talking about? How could she have been the one who had allowed for her to see her family? Had she truly seen them or had they both been figments of her imagination? What had Arizona meant when she'd said they were waiting for Callie to 'wake up'. Was she in a coma?

"Me? I did? Did what? What's going on, Hannah?"

Hannah walked over to her and regarded her evenly. She looked exhausted, drained. Callie reached out and picked her up. Holding her in her lap, she asked again, "What did I do?"

"You have the power to go see Mommy, CC. To be with her. It's not me. I'm keeping you from going to the other place until you get better. That's all."

"But, the hotel, your room-?" Callie started to ask but Hannah finished for her.

"That was you. I've just been here, keeping you company. You're the tourist and the guide."

The dark skinned woman let Hannah's words sink in. She remained silent for a long time. Behind her, the sounds of the streets of Philadelphia played like a muffled symphony. The silence was such that Callie could hear the sound of her own beating heart. She couldn't seem to understand how she had been the cause of everything. She'd been under the impression that Hannah was guiding her to some end. That she was acting in the role of protector. Guardian.

"If you're not the guide, Dims, then why are you here?"

Hannah leaned her head on her shoulder and sighed. When she answered, she sounded tired and worn. Her melodic voice was dull.

"I told you, CC. I'm just keeping you company."

**-13 months ago-**

The first thing the three women noticed, upon opening the door to Hannah's room, was the smell that assaulted their senses. The room had been closed off for two years without contact with any fresh air. When the door had been opened, old air had rushed out to greet new air and the event had overwhelmed Arizona and Terri both.

When Hannah had been alive, she'd loved the smell of bubble gum. Arizona and Terri had looked everywhere for bubble gum scented flameless candles, air fresheners, etc. Bubble gum was the scent that overcame the room's guests.

"Oh, God." Arizona said softly. One hand grabbed Callie's, tightly, and the other landed on Terri's shoulder. She scanned her eyes around the room and used the two women on either side of her to remain upright.

To her left, a small bed with white, yellow, and pink sheets sat against the far wall. Above the bed, in giant, pink, block letters, the name 'HANNAH' could be seen. The name stood out, starkly, against the light yellow wall paper. A large window directly in front of the three women was covered by ruffled pink lace curtains. Beneath it, a white dresser longed for the sun. On its top, several toys were placed. The name, 'HANNAH', could be seen again on the far right side of the dresser. It was in smaller letters, but that in no way lowered its impact.

On the right wall of the room, a single rocking chair was the only furniture noticeable. Around it, toys of all kinds laid about the floor. Stuffed animals, barbie dolls, what looked to be an Easy Bake oven, and several other items shocked the senses of those who saw them.

Arizona leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. She felt a warmth on her back and recognized it as her partner's gentle touch. Terri stepped away from her and walked towards the window. Pulling the curtains back, she allowed the winter sun to stream in the room and breathe new life into it.

"She always loved the sun." the green eyed woman said to no one in particular.

Arizona stood up fully and turned towards Callie. The other woman's deep brown eyes found her and, from them, the blonde found the strength to step completely into Hannah's room.

She made her way to Hannah's bed and smiled. Against the wall, next to Hannah's pillows, was a brown bear with a large red bow around his neck. Sitting on the bed, she reached for the bear and turned around to face the room.

Terri watched her and an open smile graced her lips. "Mr. Cuddles."

Arizona nodded her head and toyed with the fluff surrounding the bear's ears. Being in Hannah's room was bitter sweet. She noticed an item in Terri's hand. Before she could question as to what it was, the tall brunette held her hand out towards her.

"Found your stethoscope." she said in a humorous tone.

Callie smiled as she watched her partner take the medical instrument. Arizona had told her stories about Hannah's fascination with it and how, shortly before things had taken a turn, the stethoscope had come up missing. Arizona told her how she and Terri had looked over their entire home in an effort to find the missing item, but had never thought to check Hannah's room.

Now, years later, Terri had finally found Arizona's stethoscope. Callie noticed tears come to life in Arizona's blue eyes. Her hand was shaky as she took the item from Terri's hand and lowered it to her lap.

"She had it the entire time." she said, quietly, to herself.

Terri smiled and sat down next to her. "Maybe she was giving Mr. Cuddles his check-ups."

The blonde laughed and sniffed back her tears. Nodding her head, again, at the statement, she placed the stethoscope's ear buds into her ears and lowered the end of the piece to the bear's chest. After a few minutes of 'listening', she looked up and met Callie's eyes.

"Thump, thump." she whispered.

Callie smiled sadly and squatted in front of her. Leaning forward, she allowed her fingers to wipe away at the blonde's tears. Arizona leaned into her touch and closed her eyes.

"Cry, if you have to, Arizona." the Latina said.

Arizona opened her eyes and looked at her. She felt Terri place a comforting hand on her shoulder and pat gently. Her chest felt heavy and tight. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to feel like a spectacle. Looking into Callie's eyes, seeing her devotion and loyalty, and feeling her hands on her face, chipped away at her stubborn resolve.

"I'm tired of crying." she said, defiantly.

Pursing her full lips and smiling slowly, Callie replied "These are happy tears. You can't be tired of crying those, _Mariposa_."

Terri watched the two of them and felt her heart catch. Callie was good with Arizona. She complimented her well. At first, Terri hadn't wanted to see it. She'd been too torn up over not having the blonde in her life. Callie, at the time, had been what stood between them. Or so Terri had tried to convince herself to be the case.

Seeing the two of them, now, the slender brunette had to admit that Callie and Arizona were a good match. Callie was supportive. She made Arizona face her emotions rather than allowing her to run away from them. She was caring and gentle, but also knew when it was time to push. Terri had noticed the way Arizona looked at the dark skinned woman, also. It's hadn't been as apparent during her trip to Seattle. At that time, Terri had been too caught up in her own reasons for even seeing her ex again.

The short amount of time the three women had been together today, however, had allowed for Terri to truly see how Arizona looked at Callie. It was reverent. Grateful. The blonde had loved her, Terri knew that, but she had never looked at Terri the way she looked at Callie. When their eyes connected, Terri could see the same thing mirrored in each of their faces.

Completeness.

She watched Arizona drop the bear to her lap as Callie tenderly removed the ear buds from her ears. The two of them said nothing for a moment, but kept their eyes locked. Finally, Terri noticed a gentle shaking beneath her fingers and realized it was the blonde's shoulders shaking. Removing her hand, she sighed and felt her own tears begin to fall.

Arizona slid from the bed and into Callie's arms on the floor. The dark skinned woman caught her, effortlessly, and cradled her body against her own. Brushing the blonde's hair away from her shoulders, Callie whispered sweet nothings against the soft skin of neck and rocked the two of them.

Terri smiled as she continued to watch them. She noticed that Callie was whispering in Spanish as opposed to English and she wondered how much of what the other woman was saying that Arizona actually understood. The blonde, with her head buried in Callie's shoulder, brought her hands up and wrapped them around a tanned neck.

Terri realized it didn't matter if Arizona understood them or not. What mattered was that the blonde was finding peace in the Latina's arms. Peace. Strength. Contentment.

Wiping away at her tears and sniffing to clear her chest of it's heavy burden, Terri smiled and stood from the bed. Callie brought her eyes up and the two women nodded at each other in silent communication.

* * *

It took Callie, Arizona, and Terri two hours to go through all of Hannah's belongings. In addition to Mr. Cuddles and her stethoscope, Arizona had also come across several of her favorite outfits, an entire box of pictures Hannah had drawn, a handful of photographs that, apparently, had been the child's favorites, a lab coat that had, like her stethoscope, gone missing, and a notebook of Terri's that she'd used at the hospital.

"Who knew our little Hannah was such a pilferer." Terri said, laughing.

Arizona laughed with her. "Yeah, she was quite the thief, or so we're finding out."

The three women had, since, retired to the living room at the front of the house. Outside, the temperature had been on a steady decline that matched the sun's descent and, as a result, the inside of the house was cast in shadows.

Callie smiled at the healing she saw in both of the women sharing her company. After Arizona had cried in her arms, she and Terri had set about the room eagerly. Stories, memories, further tears, laughter, and everything in between had been shared. Arizona had clung to Callie for most of their time in Hannah's room, but on occasion, she had migrated towards Terri and offered a supportive hand or hug.

"Well, I imagine you two are eager to get back to your hotel." Terri said, bringing Callie back to the present.

"Yeah, we are. Look, um, thank-you for allowing me to go through her things, Terri." Arizona said.

Standing from the couch, Callie stretched and looked from the brunette to her partner.

"You don't have to thank me, Zona. This was your house, too. I've got to start packing everything up pretty soon, but I wanted you to be able to take anything you wanted. I've got your address now, so if I come across anything I think you'd want, and I'm sure I will, then I'll send it to you."

Arizona nodded her head and looked towards her partner. "We're going to be receiving a lot of packages in the near future."

Callie smiled at the joke and silence fell around the three women. Terri was the first one to shatter it.

"This may be forward, but would you both like to get together for lunch tomorrow?"

Arizona looked back at Callie and Callie shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal gesture.

"Uh, sure. We're here for a few days, so yeah. Calliope, that okay?"

Callie smiled. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Great." Terri said. "What hotel are you guys staying in?"

"The Ritz-Carlton." Arizona offered.

Green eyes looked up from the phone in her hand. "The Ritz-Carlton?"

"Yeah, Calliope wanted my visit to be...nice, so she's paying for our 'cost-too-much-money' hotel." the blonde joked.

Green eyes moved to brown and a smirk spread out on perfect features. Callie took the look to be one of appreciation.

"Seems like everyone is staying at the Ritz-Carlton these days." Terri said dryly.

When all she received were two looks of confusion, she shook her head and moved towards the front door of her home. Callie and Arizona followed her, the three of them coming to a stop in the foyer.

"Who else is staying at the Ritz?" the smaller woman asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Opening the door and shuddering at the cold wind that greeted her, Terri smiled and shook her head, again. "No one you know. I'll call you both tomorrow and we'll set up lunch, okay?"


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

**-Present Day-**

"Here's your Mama C!" Arizona said brightly as she entered Callie's room. Her partner's condition remained unchanged, but Arizona continued to smile and speak as is she were awake.

Holding Daniella, the small blonde took her usual seat in the chair next to Callie's bed and tried to relax. Her long blonde hair was pulled up high in a bun and she was dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a v-neck blue shirt.

"Hey, baby." Arizona whispered to the Latina. "We came to see you."

Silence answered her greeting. Ignoring the rising sting of panic that consumed her chest, Arizona smiled down at her daughter and re-focused her attention.

"We need to tell your _mami_ what you look like. She's a heavy sleeper and hasn't gotten to see you yet."

Daniella cooed and her tiny mouth opened as she yawned. The blue eyed woman smiled as she watched her child.

"Calliope, she's beautiful. You did such an amazing job, baby. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she shared your genes." Pausing to laugh softly, she continued in hushed tones. "She has your nose, that cute little button nose. And your skin tone. She's got your gorgeous complexion, Callie. But, everything else...everything else is me. The mouth, the eyes, the long lashes. I know she's not yours biologically, but she looks so much like the two of us."

The tone of her voice had become softer the longer she spoke. Her heart was lonely and frightened without Calliope. Were it not for her friends and, especially, Daniella, Arizona was certain she would have sank into a deep depression already. Addison and Bailey continued to remain optimistic, telling Arizona to keep her head up and focus on Daniella. Though their advice was sound, the blonde knew that she wouldn't be completely whole until her wife was awake and holding their daughter.

She missed Callie. Painfully. She missed her smile, her laughter, the rich quality of her voice and he eyes. God, did she miss staring into Callie's eyes. She longed for the other woman's touch. Her company. She yearned to fall asleep with her again and feel her breath on the back of her neck. She dreamed about them shopping, watching movies, feeding Daniella and complaining about the lack of sleep that was sure to come when they got their daughter home.

In short, Arizona was adrift without Calliope.

The warmth of the tiny little human cradled against her chest caught her in the storm of emotions she was in. Looking down at Daniella, the blonde smiled again and adjusted the pink cap on her head. Allowing her fingers to tenderly trace down the infant's cheek and neck, Arizona started to lightly sing. As she did so, she felt herself calming slowly.

Her daughter yawned again and she couldn't help but smile.

"When your Mama C wakes up, we'll have to get her to sing to you. She has a much better voice than I do."

Looking to her right, her eyes fell on Callie's expressionless face and she felt a painful tightness in her chest.

"Calliope, please don't leave me. I can't do this without you."

"Knock, knock." a familiar voice floated across the room from her left.

Arizona turned around and a wide smile broke out across her face when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Mama..." she said, tears falling freely.

**-13 months ago-**

"Want me to draw us a bath?" Callie asked, throwing her jacket on the bed as she and Arizona entered their hotel room.

The drive from Terri's house had, actually, been quite nice. She and Arizona had spoken a lot about Hannah, her life, Arizona's past and how, the entire time the blonde had been in her old home, she'd expected Hannah to turn a corner and say her name.

Callie had listened and held her hand during the drive. Even though her partner's words had been laced with sadness, she'd noticed they hadn't carried with them the heaviness they once had. The dark skinned woman chose to believe that it was just one more step on the long road to acceptance and recovery her lover was on. It gratified her that she could help Arizona along the way.

"No, I want you to stop worrying about me." the blonde said, playfully.

Callie helped the smaller woman out of her jacket and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. Breathing deeply to inhale Arizona's scent, she rested her chin on her shoulder and sighed.

"Hmm, I always worry about you. I love you. Kind of comes with the emotion."

Arizona laughed and leaned back against the appealing body behind her own. She brought her hands down to her waist and lightly ran her fingers over the back of her partner's knuckles. Callie always seemed to know what to say and how to say it to make her feel better. Lighter. Happier.

"You're amazing. You know that?" she asked softly.

The rich sound of her partner's laughter vibrated throughout her body and the warmth of her breath as it glided across her neck caused Arizona to, briefly, close her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. It's something I've been burdened with, but I cope."

The two women remained standing, in a tight embrace, for several heart beats. The heat between their bodies was acting like a lullaby. Both Callie and Arizona were content to not move for fear of shattering their moment. The blonde loved and cherished these kinds of moments. The ones that snuck up on the two of them and asked nothing at all from either. Those were the picture perfect times that Arizona knew she'd always remember. The times when there was no rush, no sense of urgency, no need to do anything other than remain in her partner's presence.

Callie's front was pressed completely to her back and she adored every minute of it. She could feel her lover, wholly, and it brought about a deep connection between them that she still marveled at. Her partner's breath against her neck, the soft weight of her chin against her shoulder, the feeling of her chest rising and falling slowly as she inhaled and exhaled, her warmth and her scent; Arizona loved all of it. Moments like the one she was currently experiencing, came around so rarely it seemed.

The tingling and heated sensation of lips pressing against the side of her neck caused her eyes to open and a slight moan to escape her mouth.

"Let's take a bath together and go to bed. I'm tired." Callie whispered across her ear.

The blonde nodded her head and turned around to face the taller woman. The semi darkness of their room made it slightly difficult to see Callie's face. Resting her hands on the hips in front of her, Arizona asked, "What's been bothering you, lately?"

Callie cocked her head to the side and scrunched her face up. "What are you talking about?" she asked, playing dumb.

The blue eyed woman didn't answer right away, instead choosing to allow her own question to settle around them. She knew something was bothering Callie. Whether or not it was something major or something minor, she didn't know. What she did know, was that she had picked up on a feeling of unease several times. Pushing, demanding an explanation, was what her instincts told her to do, but her heart begged her to allow her partner time to bring whatever was upsetting her to light.

When it became obvious to her that Callie wasn't going to satisfy the requirements of her question, she lowered her eyes and squeezed the flesh beneath her fingers lightly.

"Nothing. Just...if something was bothering you, you'd talk to me, right? You do know that you can lean on me still, don't you? I'm not so broken Callie that I can't help you if you need it. Please don't make me feel like I am."

Dark eyes lost focus as their owner absorbed the words just spoken. For a moment, Arizona thought Callie would open up, but the moment was short lived. A smile, beautiful but disbelieving, appeared before her.

"Arizona, nothing is wrong, baby. Our life has just been really busy lately. I guess I'm adjusting."

"You don't regret anything, do you?" the blonde asked quickly.

A pause took her breath away and then, "No, of course not. Do you?"

"No! No, Calliope. I don't regret anything where you're concerned. Well, maybe this hotel because it is super crazy expensive..."

She allowed her words to trail off before raising an eyebrow towards her girlfriend and smirking. Callie was watching her, a playful expression on her own face, and Arizona decided to let the matter drop. Callie's earlier suggestion of a hot bath together sounded extremely enticing.

"So, you mentioned a bath, I believe?"

* * *

The following afternoon, Callie and Arizona found themselves in the Ten Arts Bistro, a dining accommodation provided by their hotel. When Terri had called them earlier in the morning, Arizona had suggested that they all try the bistro and, by extension, Jennifer Carroll's and Eric Ripert's cuisine. Callie was sitting next to her in jet black dress pants with a matching Boutique embellished faux bib top. The blouse had ruched sleeves and a side top and was pleated satin. Arizona, on the other hand was wearing a deep blue top that Callie had bought her shortly after they'd moved into their home. It was a daytrip femme top, or so Callie had told her. The deep 'V' of the blouse was adorned with, what appeared to be, blue roses down the front. She completed the look with a pair of dark jeans her partner had, also gotten for her during her trip to their local 'Buckle'.

The jeans, ostentatiously, named 'Rock Revival Gwen Easy Boot Stretch Jeans' were mid-rise, zip fly, with sequins and embroidery on the back flap pockets. Callie had gotten them on a whim for her and later justified her actions by claiming that Arizona needed more clothing with "edge."

"Everything looks so good, I don't know what I want." Callie said to Arizona as the two of them waited for Terri's arrival.

At first, the Latina had been slightly put off at her partner agreeing to have lunch with her ex, but once Arizona had explained to her her reasons, she been more willing to allow the social gathering.

_"I just don't know why you want to spend our vacation having lunch with your ex."_

_Arizona pinched the bridge of her nose before pulling her jeans over her hips. Callie's hesitance and reluctance to meet Terri for lunch had finally come to the front of her emotions. The blonde had wondered when they'd have their current conversation and, now, here they were._

_"Callie, this is a one time thing. She treated us wonderfully yesterday and, whether or not you or I want to admit it, I owe her this. She's been here, dealing with Hannah's loss and my departure, on her own. I feel responsible for her pain. Can you understand that? She's about to move out of our old home and, at the same time, that'll have her moving away from everything that's meant so much to her. I just feel like I need to do this. You don't have to go, Calliope, but I would really prefer it if you did."_

_Buttoning her jeans and adjusting her shirt, Arizona turned around to face her partner. Callie looked horrified. Her black satin top was only half-way over her torso and her eyes were locked with blue._

_"You're right. I'm sorry. I just...I still get a little nervous around her. You know I'll go with you, Arizona." she said as she pulled her shirt down over the lower half of her torso._

_The blonde walked up to her and pulled her hair from underneath the collar. Sliding her fingers along her neck, Arizona lightly grabbed her chin and forced Callie to look at her._

_"I love you. You don't need to be nervous around her, Calliope. She's not you, okay?" A dark head of hair nodded at her words._

_The smaller woman closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against her partner's. She held their mouth together for a moment longer than normal before stepping back and gently kissing the lips before again._

_"Besides, you're Mexican." she said._

_Callie's eyebrows raised high onto her forehead and her mouth opened in a show of utter perplexity. "What does that have to do with anything?"_

_Smiling impishly, the blonde turned away from her and said, over her shoulder, "It means we're lesbians and you know how to roll your 'Rs'"_

"Arizona?"

Callie's voice caused her to jump as her recollection from earlier faded away.

"What?" she asked dumbly.

The Latina laughed and shook her head. Her dazzling smile made the blodne's heart beat faster in her chest.

"I asked if you had any idea what you were going to get?"

Before Arizona could reply, let alone look over her own menu, a surprised voice startled the two of them.

"Oh my god! Callie! What are you doing here?"

Arizona turned around in her chair and was stunned to see Addison Montgomery walking towards them. The tall red headed surgeon was wearing a pair of gray slacks and a long, cream colored coat with fur trim. Around her neck, a red scarf was wrapped and fell down the front of her jacket. A matching scarf hat set off her ensemble.

"Addie! Come here! What are you doing here?" Callie squealed as she got up from the table and rushed to meet her best friend.

The two women embraced several times, smiles getting wider and voices getting louder, the longer they were in each other's presence. Arizona smiled at the happiness she saw in her partner. She watched Addison and Callie talk for a moment before turning their attention to where she was sitting.

"Arizona, it's so nice to see you, again. I see you're still putting up with Callie here." Addison joked as she took a seat opposite of Callie.

The blonde smiled in greeting and nodded her head. "Yes, I am and loving every second of it."

Addison's blue eyes shined and she rewarded them both with an honest and open smile. "Aww, you two are so cute! Tell me! What are you guys doing here? Please tell me it's not another medical conference."

A waiter interrupted them before their conversation could continue. After ordering two glasses of red wine and two glasses of white, the three women were, once again, left alone. Addison noticed the fourth glass of wine and looked quizzical a moment.

"Am I interrupting? You two meeting someone?" she asked.

"No, you're not interrupting." Callie said. She refrained from saying anything more because she was unsure of how much information her partner would feel comfortable sharing.

"We're here on vacation and we're meeting up with an old friend of mine." Arizona chimed in when she noticed Callie's expression.

"Oh, okay. Well, I can catch up with you both later. Medical conference." the red head said, shrugging her shoulders.

Callie and Arizona laughed and gave her knowing glances. Before any of them could exchange hotel numbers or make plans for a later outing, a sound behind them informed them of their newest arrival.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I'm sure you remember what the traffic is like this time of day, Arizona."

Terri smiled at them as she neared their table, but it slowly started to slip away the closer she got. Sitting to Arizona's left, directly across from Callie, was someone Terri had been thinking about quite often as of late.

Addison Montgomery.

The red head turned at the sound of her voice and her face looked shocked a moment. She looked from Arizona to Callie and finally back to Terri, who had finally come to stand next to their table. Piercing green eyes connected with startled and shocked blue.

"Terri, what are you doing here?" Addison asked.

Callie scoffed and shook her head. She noticed her partner's mouth hanging open and knew that she was, most likely, just as shocked as she was.

Terri moved behind her and took a seat across from Arizona. "Callie. Arizona." she said as she sat down.

Neither woman acknowledged her greeting. Both were too wrapped up in how Addison Montgomery knew Terri Clashe in the first place. The silence was hefty. Terri took a sip of her wine and turned her attention to Addison.

"I could ask you the same thing. That whole 'following me around' notion is starting to have some merit."

The neonatal surgeon laughed and looked across the table at Callie. The woman's dark eyes were taking in everything and Addison could see the tug on her lips that indicated she was hiding a smile. Or an evil smirk.

"This is the 'old friend' you guys are meeting?" she asked, pointing towards Terri.

Callie laughed, a nervous quality finding its way into the sound, and looked at Arizona. The blonde looked at Terri who shook her head and looked in Addison's direction. Addison watched the entire display and finished off her glass of wine. Signaling the waiter to bring her another, she sighed and placed her hands on the table.

"Okay, this has gotten awkward incredibly fast. What's going on? How do you guys know Terri?"

The green eyed woman thrummed her fingers, lightly, on the table in front of her and focused her gaze on Arizona. When her ex's blue eyes found her, she cocked her head to one side and asked, "How do you know Addison, Zona?"

"She used to work at Seattle Grace. She and Callie are friends. How do _you_ know her, Terri?"

"I met her the day before yesterday. Seems she doesn't possess much in the way of direction."

Callie snickered and Addison looked offended. "Hey!" she said to Terri. The brunette smirked at her but, otherwise, didn't comment. When silence fell among them once again, their waiter appeared and saved them all from having to decide how to break it. Addison declined anything to eat and, after the other three women had placed their orders, gave Terri a curious look.

"How do you know Arizona?" she asked.

Callie coughed on the wine she'd just taken a drink of and blushed when she noticed everyone looking in her direction. "Sorry" she mumbled.

The red head pursed her lips and shook her head. Her friend's reaction was enough to confirm what she was already piercing together on her own. One thing Addison Montgomery was not, was stupid.

"Arizona was the one you mentioned." she said in confident tones. She wasn't positive that her assumptions were correct, but she was willing to present her evidence and see what became of it.

Arizona looked panicked and turned her attention to the woman sitting in front of her. Terri lowered her eyes, but said nothing. When she raised her head again, she saw Addison's blue eyes daring her to deny her statement.

"Yes." the green eyed woman admitted.

It hadn't taken Addison long to figure out that Arizona had been the one Terri had told her about. The ex that she had been "married" to "more or less." Callie's evasive answers and the way she'd cut her eyes at the blonde when the nature of their trip had been brought about had been the first piece of the puzzle. Terri's arrival, her comment to Arizona about the traffic, Callie's reactions to different questions, had all been the other pieces she'd needed.

She knew, from Callie, that Arizona had never been involved with any men. Naturally, following that information, Addison had come to safely assume that all of the blonde's ex's were woman. Enter Terri, the 'friend' they were meeting up with and the puzzle was nearly complete. The one piece that Addison couldn't get to fit was the knowledge that Terri had spoken of a child she'd lost. Callie had never mentioned Arizona having any children or losing any children.

"The little girl was yours and Arizona's?" the red head asked. Her words were slightly less confident than before.

A sharp breath to her right caught her attention. Arizona's blue eyes were pained and staring at Terri in absolute shock. Callie reached for her hand on the table and followed her girlfriend's eyes.

"Arizona, I didn't know you knew her, okay? We were just talking and she asked me if I was married and if I had any kids. I don't try to hide her." Terri said heatedly.

"Oh, and I do?" the blonde shot back.

Callie stopped the two of them from making a scene. "Stop it! No one was wrong here. Jesus, just everyone, calm down."

"Am I missing something?" Addison asked no sooner than Callie had calmed everyone down.

"Addie, Hannah was their daughter. I only recently found out about her. Arizona was her birth mother. We're here because Terri is selling their old house and she wanted to go through Hannah's room with Ari before she did." Callie said in soft and gentle tones.

She wasn't sure if she'd said too much, but it was obvious to her that, somehow, Addison had become involved in their lives. The likelihood of the red headed woman meeting Arizona's ex the same weekend that she and the blonde were in Philadelphia were infinitesimal. Small or not, Callie knew the sooner everyone was out of the dark, the sooner they could all start to move on and enjoy their lunch together. Her only concern was the chance that her partner would be angry with her later for her actions.

"Arizona...Arizona was her mother?" Addison asked, stumbling over her own question?

The blonde sighed and tore her eyes away from Terri's. When she did and those eyes focused on Addison, the neonatal surgeon knew everything to be true. She'd only seen one picture of Hannah one time, but looking at Arizona, now, with her new found information and remembering the features of the beautiful little girl she'd seen, Addison knew, without a doubt, that Arizona Robbins was her mother.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

**-Present Day-**

Arizona released a heavy breath as her tears finally fell down her cheeks. Her mother closed the door to Callie's room and walked over to stand before her. The older Robbins was, slightly, taller than her daughter with the same mesmerizing blue eyes and blonde hair. Diedre's shade of blonde was darker than Arizona's and an occasional streak of gray was noticeable, but despite those, the older woman was still a striking figure to behold.

"Oh, Bells, she's beautiful." Diedre said when she finally came to a stop in front of Arizona and noticed her new grand-daughter sleeping in her arms.

'Bells' was a nickname the blonde's mother had given her when she'd been a little girl. Her mother had always told her what a lovely voice she possessed. As a young girl, Arizona had been flattered beyond reason at the compliment and had asked her mother what her voice sounded like to be thought of as so lovely. Diedre had told her that her voice was as beautiful as the song of wind chimes singing on a breezy day. 'Bells' had become Arizona's nickname some time later.

"Mama, she's perfect. Beautiful. Wonderful." the blonde said past her tears. Her voice, despite it's roughness over her emotions, was still full of pride and wonder when she spoke of Daniella. She stood from her chair next to Callie's bed and, carefully, passed Daniella into her mother's arms.

"Sit." she told Diedre.

Moving to stand at the foot of Callie's bed, Arizona smiled when she saw her mother's face. The older Robbins was smiling and her eyes were bright as they stared down at the small little infant against her chest. Daniella had been born a month earlier than expected. Given her, rather hectic, entrance into the world, Addison had continued to keep a close eye on her development. Arizona's daughter had only weighed six pounds when she'd been born.

"Well, hello there. Aren't you just the most gorgeous little girl in the world?" Diedre said in typical 'grandmother' tones. "Yes, you are. You're just perfect. I'm your Meme. Yeah, you hear that? Hmm?"

Arizona remained quiet for a time and allowed her mother a moment to enjoy the newest addition to their family. She'd not seen her mother act so since Hannah had been alive. It made her happy to know that her mother was so excited about hers and Callie's daughter.

Thinking of Callie caused the blonde to look up at her lover's face. The radiance that normally glowed from Callie's flawless skin was missing. Her pallor spoke volumes to her condition. Normally lush, thick, full and wavy dark hair was, instead, limp and, seemingly, lifeless as it laid around her pillow. Arizona felt her heart tug inside her chest and she couldn't help herself from closing her eyes.

"Your father will be here in a couple of days. He couldn't take off right away." Diedre's calm and soothing voice brought her back from her painful thoughts and she opened her eyes to stare in her mother's direction.

Sniffing and running her left hand along Callie's knee and thigh, the blonde said, "Good, good. It'll be good to see him again. He'll adore Daniella."

Diedre was silent for a moment. She continued to slightly rock her grand-daughter and, from time to time, speak softly to her. Her eyes watched Arizona, intently, though. They noticed how thin the younger woman was. They noticed the dark circles under her, normally focused, eyes and they noticed the frailty that seemed to just be sitting on her shoulders.

"Has there been any change?" she asked, softly. She knew Arizona would know of whom she spoke so she refrained from saying anything more.

Arizona bit her lip and swallowed painfully before answering. She allowed the hand that had, only moments ago, been smoothing over Callie's thigh to move and trace across the back of her hand and along her wrist.

"No. She's breathing on her own still, but Dr. Shepard is worried if she doesn't wake soon, he'll have to set her up with an endotracheal tube. I'm not sure I could handle seeing her like that, Mama." she replied. Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence and her tears fell anew. The fingers on her partner's wrist tightened as she grasped it in an effort to calm herself.

"Bells, look at me."

Arizona continued to cry and hang her head. She'd been so strong, so together the last five days. It had been a struggle to continue being so. Her friends had asked her, several times, if she wanted to talk, but she'd declined their kind offers and, instead, focused her attention on Daniella. She hadn't wanted to cry or appear upset in front of her daughter. She was of a firm belief that children could pick up on the emotional state of their parents. It wasn't her daughter's fault that her other mother was in a coma. She was completely innocent. She was a new life in the world. Arizona hadn't wanted to upset her for anything in the universe and so, she'd gone about her days as if everything was fine in her world.

With her mother's arrival, the walls she'd built around herself were starting to crumble. She hadn't even thought to call her parents, let alone Calliope's, until the day before. Her attention had been on Daniella and her partner. Minutes had turned into hours that had turned into days. Had it not been for Mark asking how Callie's parents were taking the news, she'd probably have forgotten about calling them all together.

"Arizona Renee Robbins."

Upon hearing the stern quality in her mother's voice, Arizona looked up and met her eyes.

"When was the last time you slept, honey? You look like hell."

The younger woman shook her head, "Thanks, Mama."

"You know what I mean, Arizona. Have you slept much at all since Daniella was born?"

Arizona shook her head and watched her fingers run light patterns over Callie's skin. She wished the other woman would react to her touch. She wished Callie would touch her, hold her. Her continued motionless days were beginning to take their claim over the blonde. The only time her partner moved was when she or one of the nurses rolled Callie onto her side to avoid bedsores, atelectasis and pneumonia.

"I don't know how to sleep without her, Mama." she admitted, softly, in a hushed whisper. Her words were spoken truly. The only sleep she'd managed to catch since their daughter's birth had been an hour here or there between Daniella's feedings. When she did manage to sleep, it was in the chair next to Callie's bed. She'd not had a decent night's rest in almost a week.

"Bells..." her mother admonished. "You need to rest or you're no good to either Callie or Daniella."

Arizona sighed and brought her fingers to her temples. She knew her mother was correct, but the saying or telling of something was far easier than the actual doing of said something. She couldn't be away from her partner. She couldn't. Sleep interfered with too many things. What if Calliope awoke and she wasn't there? How scared and confused would her lover be to not find her by her side? What about Daniella? She needed to be fed and changed and cared for. Sure, the nursing staff could handle those necessities, but she was Daniella's mother and it was her joy, her responsibility, to do those things. She didn't want her child becoming too familiar with the nurses.

"I'll watch her while you sleep." Diedre spoke up suddenly. "When was the last time they turned Callie?"

The blonde looked at her mother and felt a small smile of gratitude coming to life on her lips.

"They came in shortly before you got here." she said.

Diedre nodded her head and stood from her chair. Daniella started to fuss at the movement. Her tiny cries caused Arizona to move to her mother's side.

"I've got her, Bells." Diedre said before gently placing her grand-daughter in the hospital bassinet next to her. After of moment of soothing care, the small infant was silent and slumbering again peacefully. Turning her attention to her daughter, Diedre gave her a stern look.

"You're going to sleep. Now." she said moving to Callie's bed and lowering the guard rail in place.

"Mama..." Arizona sighed.

"Don't argue. I'll call a nurse to take Daniella to the nursery and when she needs to be fed, I'll do it. You're going to sleep, here, right next to Callie. I don't think she'll mind. So, come on. Hop up here. You've got about 3 hours until she needs to be moved again."

Arizona just looked at her mother. Her suggestion was crazy. Callie was hooked up to varying pieces of monitoring equipment and the hospital bed was too small to accommodate the two of them. What if she moved the wrong way and, accidentally, hurt her partner? How could she live with herself if that happened?

"I'll come check on you once I know Daniella is okay. If it would make you feel better, I can ask Teddy to look in on you, as well, to ensure that you're not in any way posing a possible danger to Callie." Diedre said, seeming to pick up on her daughter's trepidation. "You said you didn't know how to sleep without her, Bells. Well, she's right here and I think she'd enjoy your company, too."

Finally deciding to humor her mother, Arizona kicked off her shoes and walked to the edge of Callie's bed. Carefully, she climbed onto the bed and ensured that she wasn't lying on the other woman's I.V. When she settled herself down beside Callie, her mother popped the guard rail back into place and moved to the opposite side of the bed.

"Sleep, honey. You'll feel better. I'll take care of Daniella, okay?"

Arizona, with her head on Callie's shoulder, nodded at her mother's words. Sniffing back her tears, she wrapped her left arm around the other woman's body and closed her eyes. If she used her imagination, she could pretend that Callie and she were at their home enjoying a lazy afternoon in bed. She heard her mother move behind her and start talking softly to Daniella. Sleep tugged at the edges of her mind and she found that it was hard to ignore its warm and inviting voice. She thought she heard her mother talking with a nurse and the sound of the door opening came to her from far away, but before long, sleep had placed a heavy blanket over her mind and she drifted off. The feeling of Callie's body next to hers acted like a weight and she continued to fall into a deeper and deeper sleep.

**-13 months ago-**

Terri said nothing as she watched the news of her relationship with Arizona settle and become real to Addison Montgomery. The red headed woman was stunned and her startling blue eyes were fixed on the, equally startling, blue of her ex. Chancing a sideways look in Callie's direction, Terri noticed how upset the Latina appeared to be. Her shoulders were tense, much the same way they had been when she and Callie had been in the elevator of SGMW hospital, and a deep furrow in between her eyes told Terri of the battle taking place in her mind.

The sound of highly amused, though ironic, laughter startled all the women at the table.

"Okay, wait. This isn't funny. I just..." Addison snickered, again, and shook her head before continuing. "Terri and Arizona were together but now they're not? You guys, "she said indicating Callie and Arizona, "came here to go through Arizona's old house. Meanwhile, I'm privileged enough to meet Terri on the same weekend you guys are here because I'm lost and just happened to stop at her place of employment?"

Callie, Arizona, and Terri looked at Addison but said nothing.

"So, I go to the first part of my little medical convention, only to be directed by the lady at the front desk to a local diner. Not only are we all here on the same weekend, but the three of us," Addison made a motion with her right hand that encircled herself, Arizona and Callie, "all wind up in the same hotel." She laughed again, but it was more to herself than to anyone present.

"Okay, so I go to the diner, right? Which, by the way, is, ironically, named Terry's and who do I find? Her!" Addison's left hand jerked in Terri's direction. "We sit down and talk and the entire time, I can't shake this feeling I have around her. And now, here we all are and I find out that the picture of the little girl I was shown was none other than your girlfriend's!" the red head looked directly at Callie before scoffing and laughing again.

There was no amusement in the sound. It was irony at its fullest. Addison's laughter was brought about by too many coincidences colliding in her vicinity. Terri took another sip of her wine and focused her attention on the woman to her right.

"Yeah, funny stuff." she said, dryly.

Addison ignored her comment and looked, again, to Callie sitting across from her. Her friend's dark eyes were masked with doubt and insecurities, but her hand remained around her partner's wrist.

"Addie, this is all no more of a shock to you than it is to all of us, I'm sure." Callie said quietly.

Addison shook her head and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. This really isn't funny. It's the situation. You all have to admit that it's ironic how we all ended up here on the same weekend."

Her table companions, all save for Arizona, nodded their agreement. Silence joined them. What should have been a nice lunch in a new city, had quickly turned into an awkward gathering of four unique woman whose lives had, somehow, run into one another.

"I've-I've got to go. I'm really sorry for how this turned out. Cal, you've got my cell number. Call me, okay? Terri," Addison started as her eyes cut to the green ones of the woman on her left. Terri's penetrating and knowing gaze unsettled her, but she smiled and continued, "it was nice running into you again. Seems to be something we can't avoid, huh?"

Terri nodded her head and pursed her lips. "Seems that way, yeah."

Smiling playfully, the red head turned her attention to Arizona. The blonde had remained quiet throughout Addison's verbal spill.

"Arizona, I'm really sorry. I had no idea. You have my sympathies for your daughter."

Arizona swallowed and Addison could see the tenseness in her jaw. "Thank-you." was all she said.

* * *

Later that same day, Callie found herself in her hotel room with Arizona. After Addison's departure, she, Terri, and Arizona had remained and attempted to salvage their lunch plans. Terri had apologized, profusely, and in the end, become tired of apologizing for something that wasn't even her fault.

_"What would you have me do, Arizona? Huh? Never mention her again because the person I'm speaking to about her could, in some way, have a connection to you or Callie?"_

_Arizona sighed and placed her fork down to the right of her plate._

_"No...no, Terri. Of course not. This is...it's just awkward, okay?"_

_Terri ran her finger along the rim of her wine glass. "I guess I just don't see what the problem is here. Didn't you say that Addison had moved to California?"_

_Arizona nodded her head._

_"Well, she can't tell anyone that you'd know. And, while we're on the subject, why are you so adverse to anyone knowing about her to begin with? She was one of the best things to ever happen to you. Why would you want to carry on as if she didn't exist?"_

_Callie wanted to interject and come to her partner's defense, but, a part of her also wanted to know why Arizona refused to tell their friends about her daughter._

_"Terri, I'm not trying to hide her. I don't want to have to open up and tell each new person I meet about something that hurt me so badly. If the topic ever came up, and I felt comfortable enough around the people I was with, then I'd tell them. You know how the gossip is inside a hospital. I don't need that kind of thing interfering with how I do my job or with how people view me as a doctor."_

_Terri took in Arizona's explanation and, slowly, nodded her head in a gesture of understanding. Looking at Callie, she asked, "What about you?"_

_Brows knitting together, the Latina asked, "What about me?"_

_The green eyed woman smirked and sat back in her chair. She wasn't sure what was hiding just beneath the surface of her ex's girlfriend, but ever since they'd been at her home the day before, Terri had picked up on something bothering the other woman. Since she didn't know Callie as a person, it was proving difficult for her to ascertain the nature of her apprehension._

_Her training could only take her so far. Watching Callie's reactions, reading her body language, and asking the occasional question were all Terri's attempts to understanding what was bothering the dark skinned woman. Every time a conversation was brought to life and carried with it topics surrounding kids or, more times than not, Hannah, Callie's body language shifted and only confused Terri all the more._

_"How do you feel about everything? You still want children, don't you?"_

_Arizona sighed and looked at he ex. "Terri, this is all really none of your concern. If you need to know, Calliope and I have agreed to having children. So just let the matter drop."_

_The blonde looked back to her plate in front of her. Callie smiled, but it was a poor attempt at masking her anxiety. Terri looked from one woman to the other and grabbed her wine glass again._

_"Hmm, interesting."_

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Arizona asked.

Callie rolled over and looked up at the blonde next to her. Her head was propped up in her hand and her elbow was resting against a pillow at the front of the bed.

"Nothing." the Latina lied.

"Calliope."

"It was nothing, baby. I was just thinking about lunch and how unnerving everything was. I can't believe Addie is here and that she met up with Terri, of all people."

The smaller woman laughed and let her fingers, languidly, trace light patterns along Callie's chest and collar bone.

"Yeah, me either. I'll be glad when we get back home. I'm tired of our vacation being spent with everyone else. I want to get away from all of this." Arizona whispered.

Callie smiled while her eyes continued taking in her lover's face. She could feel the blonde's fingers on her skin and their touch was becoming more heated. When Arizona squeezed her one of her breasts, she inhaled sharply and met her eyes.

"I love you, Calliope." the blue eyed woman said softly. She moved so that she was on top of her partner and was straddling her hips.

Callie rewarded her with a breathtaking smile. Her hands were on the blonde's thighs and were teasing the flesh they found there.

"Really?" the raven haired woman asked, playfully.

Arizona nodded her head.

"Show me." Callie demanded.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me, Addie."

Addison entered the hotel room and looked around.

"Where's Arizona?" she asked when she could find no sign of the blonde being present.

Callie moved past her and sat on the bed. She looked out of the window in front of her and sighed.

"She went to meet Terri."

Addison walked around the bed and took a seat in a chair beneath the window. The heavy cloud cover outside did little to allow much sunlight into the room. She looked at her friend and noticed how small she appeared before her.

"You just let her go meet her ex?"

Callie took a deep breath and clasped her hands together in her lap. Her right leg was jumping nervously and her throat felt dry.

"Terri called wanting to know if Arizona would be interested in any of Hannah's old clothes. I told her to meet Terri and go through the house again if she thought it would help. Besides, it was the only way I could talk to you."

"She was okay with you not going with her?" the red head asked.

Shaking her head, Callie replied, "No, she wanted me to go, but I told her I was tired. I don't think she believed me. Look, I didn't ask you here to talk about this, Addie."

Addison raised a delicate eyebrow and regarded her friend more closely. Callie's hair was thrown up in a messy tail. She was wearing a dark pair of flannel pj bottoms and a black and purple streaked thermal shirt. Whatever was upsetting her friend must have been huge for her to allow Arizona to go and meet up with her ex in close quarters.

"Okay, fair enough. What's going on, Cal?"

Callie was hesitant to speak for only half a moment before, "I'm afraid I'll lose her, Addie."

The slender neonatal surgeon bit her lip and waited for more information. Tears had started to form in Callie's dark eyes. Her entire body seemed to deflate right in front of her.

"What are you talking about? You don't think she still has feelings for Terri do you?"

Callie's shoulders were sagging and her head was hanging between them. When she looked back up at her friend, she shook her head and wiped a hand across her face.

"No...no, it's not that. We're good, Addison. We're perfect. I've never felt about someone the way I feel about her. She asked me to marry her." she said, laughing, disbelievingly at the knowledge. Holding her left hand up, she displayed a simple silver band on her ring finger. "This is just the engagement ring. She wants to marry me! Me! And, we just bought a house. A huge, two story house."

"Sounds like she plans on spending the rest of her life with you." Addison said, interrupting her.

Callie released an unsteady breath and looked out the window again.

"Yeah, sounds like."

Addison looked confused before, "Are you not happy about that idea?"

Scoffing, the Latina turned her attention towards her and said, "Of course I am. I want nothing more than to be with her. She's everything to me, Addison."

"Then what's the problem?"

Callie sighed, again, and glanced up at the ceiling. Licking her lips to stall for time, she finally looked back down at the anxious face of her friend.

"She'll leave me. That's the problem. She had a house and a loving girlfriend and a beautiful, perfect little girl. She had everything, Addison. I don't want to become the next Terri for her. I don't want to be like Terri and have everything one minute and then nothing the next. She still loves Arizona. I think a part of her always will. What happens if we have a child, huh? Arizona's told me that she can't be the one to carry any child of ours because of everything that happened with Hannah. I'll be the one carrying our kids, Addie. Which means that they won't even be a part of her. At all. What if she doesn't connect with a child that's only mine? What if she feels nothing for our children? It would be easier for her leave me if she had nothing tying her down, wouldn't it?"

Addison couldn't believe what she was hearing. Callie was terrified of the possibility that Arizona would, one day, leave her. Though she didn't know the full story regarding Arizona and Terri, she was able to piece together enough of it from Callie's words. The picture she had from everything she currently knew was a sad one, indeed.

Callie's tears were falling down her face heavily and her shoulders were shaking from her short breaths. It was obvious that she had been holding in her feelings over everything for quite some time.

"Hey..." she said softly, reaching a hand out to touch Callie's knee.

When dark, watery, eyes met her, she shook her head.

"She loves you, Callie. I've seen how she looks at you. I don't know anything about her past with Terri, but I can't imagine her looking at just anyone the way she looks at you. She's crazy about you."

Nodding her head, Callie said "Yeah, for now. I can't lose her, Addison. I wouldn't survive it if she left me."

"She won't leave you, Cal. Besides, you're acting like there's no way for you both to participate in your future child's conception."

Callie jerked her head up and looked, intently, at Addison. Her tears were lessening as they fell from her eyes and her sobs were slowly starting to leave her body.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, curiously.

Blue eyes shined with happiness before her.

"Mutual mother pregnancy." Addison said, simply. "You're a doctor, Cal, how do you not know about this?"

Callie sniffed a few times to clear away her heavy emotional state. Using both of her hands, she wiped away at the wetness on her face and tried to focus on what her friend was telling her. Her confusion must have been clear because, a moment later, Addison's voice entered the room again.

"You really need to get with the times, Callie. Mutual mother pregnancy is just a fancy way you lesbians have of saying 'surrogate mother'. It's pretty common, really."

The dark haired woman took in her words and Addison watched as comprehension colored her face.

"You mean, I'd carry Arizona's child?" she asked.

Sitting back in her chair and smiling at her oblivious friend, the red headed woman nodded and said, "Yeah, that way you could both be a part of her conception and birth. I'd be happy to be your doctor, Cal. I could be the...god-mother or something."

Addison's laughter caused Callie's own to come bubbling from her throat. She couldn't believe that she'd not thought of the idea herself. A child carried by her, but being biologically Arizona's, would ensure that both women were, in a sense, the baby's mothers.

The information made her feel lighter than she had in months. A weight had been lifted. She still had her fears and her worries, but Addison's suggestion left her feeling happier about her future and that was all she wanted. A future.

A future with Arizona Robbins.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

**-11 months ago-**

"You make me so hot. Do you like the taste of yourself on my tongue?"

The heated question burned across Callie's lips. Arizona didn't allow her inquiry to be answered, instead choosing to force her tongue past the Latina's teeth. She, playfully, massaged Callie's tongue with her own, ensuring that the other woman tasted herself in the process.

The dark skinned woman grunted, heavily, and moaned at the taste assaulting her senses. Her body was in a steady rhythm with Arizona's and sweat glistened across their bare skin. Fingers running down her stomach and slipping between her thighs caused her to jerk and attack her partner's tongue with greater passion.

"God, you're so wet." Arizona panted against her mouth.

She slid her fingers along Callie's length, gathering the excess amount of moisture she found. Her lover bucked forward, wildly, and tightened the grip her hands had on her head. Bringing her fingers to her own lips, she, slowly and teasingly, licked Callie's essence from them before forcing her tongue back into her partner's mouth.

"Taste yourself..." she said, pulling away from Callie's mouth only long enough to look down at her. Her fiance's eyes were nearly closed and her lips were wet and swollen. Short and heavy gasps of air were testaments to her arousal and pleasure. Arizona kept her eyes open as she leaned forward, again, and, just as slowly as before, ran her tongue across Callie's bottom lip.

"Taste yourself on me." she said softly.

Callie's head was spinning. It was rare that Arizona spoke to her like she was during their lovemaking. The longer the two of them had been, alone, in their home, the more vocal and forthcoming the other woman had become. The blonde was louder, more passionate, more free with her body. When she made love to Callie, she did things to her body that she never had before. She sought out different positions, varied the tone of her voice or the force of her touch and, overall, made it her goal to bring Callie's body to even greater heights of pleasure.

The Latina had, in no way, complained about the progression of their sex life. She, too, learned everything Arizona's body had to teach her and then used that knowledge to bring the other woman screaming over the edge of passion. Instead of time diminishing their need, their hunger for one another, it seemed to be increasing their desire instead.

Since both women had returned from Philadelphia two months ago, their lives had returned to normal. Days at Seattle Grace were like any other day or week at a prestigious hospital. Some times passed quickly and other times did not. Callie had continued working on her research and had even begun talks with the IRB on a possible clinical trial. Her partner had had been over the moon about the news.

Arizona's days at the hospital had been a bit slower than Callie's, which by no means, meant she had been doing any less. She had, recently, started giving Alex Karev greater responsibilities over her patient's care and had been allowing him to dictate most of their courses of treatment. She saw in the young resident a great potential that she knew was long overdue to make an appearance.

She and Callie had fallen into a, very domestic, routine. When their work schedules were closer together, the two of them shared a meal, either prepared by Callie or enjoyed at one of their favorite restaurants. On the rare occasions that they both found themselves with matching days off, they would spend it watching movies, shopping, making love, lying in bed talking for hours, entertaining guests or any number of other activities.

Life was good for Callie and Arizona. Terri had begun sending them packages with several of Arizona's and Hannah's past possessions a month earlier. Going through Hannah's things had been another step in the blonde's healing process, but with Callie's help along the way, Arizona had handled things easier than she would have alone. Both she and her partner had placed Hannah's belongings in their spare bedroom on the bottom floor of their house. Arizona had promised her that, when they had children of their own, they'd pass Hannah's things to their child.

"Arizona...put your mouth on me." Callie begged in a ragged voice.

The smaller woman kissed her with a fiery claim that stole her breath away before trailing her lips down her skin. She sucked on Callie's pulse point, enjoying the crazed beating beneath her touch, before dragging her teeth down to her partners heaving chest. Taking a nipple between her lips, she swirled her tongue around the taut flesh and relished the sounds that escaped her lover's mouth.

Callie's fingers in her hair tightened. She felt her head being pushed and knew what was being asked of her. Deciding that she'd teased her partner long enough, Arizona kissed a quick path down Callie's ribs and stomach before settling herself between a pair of honey colored thighs.

Looking back up Callie's body, she noticed the other woman was watching her. Her brows were knit together and she was breathing, erratically, from her mouth. Smirking with, almost boastful, confidence, Arizona said, "You're going to enjoy this..."

She heard a hitched moan but it was cut off and turned into a pleasurable cry when her lips kissed Callie's clit. Using her fingers, she spread her partner open before her and proceeded to drag her tongue through her sex. Hips moved and sounds of wanton desire, lust, pleasure and joy trickled to her ears. She continued making love to her partner with practiced ease. She knew what Callie liked. She knew what she didn't like. Over the course of their time together, she'd learned just how to touch Callie to get her to make the sounds that drove her crazy. She'd learned how to prolong her lover's release and keep her teetering on it's, much beloved, ledge.

Pushing her tongue, suddenly, into Callie's sex brought about the reaction she knew it would. The other woman pushed her hips of the bed and, in the process, brought her core closer to Arizona's mouth. The blonde, gently, pushed Callie's hips down and continued to lick and suck her clit. The Latina was practically crying with pleasure. Her hands shoved the blonde's head into her center and her hips bucked against the mouth between her legs.

When she thought she couldn't take anymore, she felt Arizona move slightly and a moment later, a mouth closed around her clit and a hot sucking sensation caused her eyes to roll into her head. The moans that left her lips were completely uninhibited. They were deep, carnal and animalistic. She loved the sexual freedom she'd found with Arizona. Neither one of them held back anything when they made love. She valued that aspect of their relationship.

Her orgasm seemed to erupt slowly, starting in the pit of her stomach and fanning out to her grace her entire body. Pleasurable waves spread about her frame and caused every muscle she owned to tighten, simultaneously. The blood that was rushed through her body drowned out the sound of her release. She knew she was, most likely, quite audible. Her back arched off the bed and she allowed herself to cling to the perfection of the moment for as long as she could.

When the world came crashing back to her, Arizona was kissing her way up her body. The other woman stopped when she was face to face with her and Callie watched a gratified smile make its appearance on her lips.

Kissing her tenderly and slowly, the blonde whispered "I told you you'd enjoy that."

Callie laughed but her throat was dry and the gesture ended up sounding like a croak. Arizona rolled off of her and grabbed a bottle of water sitting on her night stand. Turning her attention back to her partner, the blonde brought the bottle to her lips.

"Drink." she said, simply.

The dark skinned woman did as she was told, keeping her eyes on the woman above her the entire time. When she didn't feel as parched, she turned her head, indicating she was sated.

Arizona smiled at her, again, and returned the bottle to its place on the table behind her. Running her fingers across Callie's wet lips, she sighed and leaned forward to kiss her again.

"I love you so much." she said softly.

Callie hummed and lifted her head to bring her lips to the blonde's once more. Her heart was still racing in her chest and her body was still vibrating with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Arizona's tongue still carried with it a hint of her arousal it was making Callie light headed.

"I love you, too, _mariposa_. You're absolutely amazing."

Arizona smiled, happily at her and snuggled against her body. Laying her head on the Latina's shoulder, she let the fingers of her left hand play across her rib cage. Callie stopped her fingers and joined their hands. When she felt the coolness of metal beneath her fingertips, it caused her to smile and hold Arizona's hand out before her.

"This means you're mine forever." she said.

The blonde chuckled when she realized what had caught her lover's attention. The simple piece of silver metal felt cool against her ring finger. Callie's fingers were tracing along the outside of the ring in an, almost, reverent manner.

"I'm yours forever with or without the ring, Calliope." she whispered truthfully.

Callie brought their hands down to her chest and sighed. Turning her head, she kissed the blonde's brow.

"You promise?" she asked.

Arizona rested her weight on her right elbow so she could look down into her fiance's face. She thought she saw a wave of insecurity cross the features she loved so much, but it was gone before she could decide whether or not she'd seen it.

"Of course I do. You don't even have to ask that, Calliope."

Callie smiled and nodded her head. The two of them remained silent as sleep started to settle around them. Arizona moved, briefly, so that she could pull their comforter over their bodies. Once she was cuddled up against Callie's warmth once again, she placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and wrapped her arm around her.

"I want us to do it soon." she said.

Her partner made a noise of protest before, "We just did it. I'm tired. Get back with me in a few hours. We may be able to work something out before I have to be at the hospital."

The blonde bestowed upon her a full and genuine laugh. Slapping at Callie's side, Arizona said, through her laughter, "Not _that_ 'it'! I swear your mind lives in the gutter, Calliope Torres!"

Callie rolled onto her side, her back to the smaller woman's front. She felt Arizona move with her and rest her chin on the back of her shoulder. A warm hand on her hip made her smile at its familiarity.

"Well, if it lives there, it's because you put it there." she said in dry tones. "With all your sucking and licking and biting and...dimples."

She attempted to get comfortable, fluffing the pillow beneath her head and shoving her hands under it. Lips on her shoulder brought to her attention that her partner was still in a "chatty" mood.

"My dimples put your mind in the gutter?"

Callie sighed and tried to appear agitated. In truth, she loved this playful side of her girlfriend. Their late night talks had become one of her favorite times.

"Yes, now go to sleep. We'll do it soon enough. After I've gotten some sleep."

Another laugh greeted her ears. The body behind her own moved closer to her and the soft feeling of hair on her shoulder and cheek caused her to open her eyes. Arizona was leaning over her and peering down into her face. A dimpled smile could be seen, barely, on her lips.

"What?" Callie asked, confused as to the other woman's behavior.

"That's not the 'it' I'm talking about, you dork."

The raven haired woman sighed once more and pushed Arizona's hair away from her own face. Settling her head deeper against her pillow, she closed her eyes and asked, rather uninterestedly, "Then what 'it' are you talking about?"

The blonde didn't answer right away. Callie continued to try to find her elusive sleep in the mean time. When she felt a series of soft, light, kisses on her face, she opened one eye and looked over her shoulder.

"I'm talking about us getting married. I'm talking about our engagement rings being joined by wedding rings. I'm talking about the whole hyphenated names bit and you walking down the aisle and us making love on our honeymoon. The 'it' I'm talking about is us becoming official."

* * *

"How do I get back to her, Hannah? You told me I had the power. Well, the power isn't listening because I'm trying to use it and...nothing!"

Callie's question was more frantic than she'd intended. Since Hannah's revelation that she was in control of her situation and she possessed the ability to get back to her life, Callie had tried profusely to do just that. She imagined Arizona's face, her scent, her touch, her laugh; everything. She pictured Daniella in her mind; her daughter, her perfect, tiny, beautiful little girl in the hopes getting back that way. Nothing worked.

Hannah had become withdrawn the longer they were together. Callie had lost track of time where she was. It didn't seem to exist, not the way she knew of it, anyhow. Her frustrations were beginning to overwhelm her.

"I told you, CC, I can't help you."

Callie turned around and looked at the small blue eyed child. Hannah looked tired before her. The happy, smiling, helpful little girl she'd first come into contact with in this strange realm was disappearing before her eyes. She wasn't sure what the cause was of Hannah's condition. When she asked, Hannah refused to answer, instead posing riddles that only infuriated Callie.

It wasn't Arizona's daughter that was causing Callie so much grief. It was her situation. Despite everything she knew and everything she'd learned while in Hannah's presence, she still couldn't figure out how to get back to her life. Her lack of success was starting to take its toll. She felt as if she was hitting her head against a wall.

Sighing at Hannah's words, Callie plopped down on the bed next to her. Her current surroundings were more than familiar. They were intimate. She knew them, was comfortable in them, and adored them. She was in her room. The bedroom she shared with Arizona.

Hannah climbed onto the bed and snuggled against Callie's body. The Latina gently wrapped an arm around the young girl's shoulder and stared up at her ceiling.

"I miss her, Hannah."

Hannah nodded her head and closed her eyes. "I miss her, too, CC."

Callie remained silent at the admission. The sound of the ceiling fan, coupled with her comfortable surroundings allowed for time, however it was governed where she was, to fade away. She ran her fingers up and down Hannah's back and thanked whoever was in charge of her state, that she, at least, had Arizona's child to keep her company.

The longer she laid in her bed with Hannah next to her, the more her mind drifted. She didn't try to think too long on any one thought that came to her. Instead, she continued to allow her mind to wander. To be free. Several different things walked through her thoughts. Memories. Dreams. Hopes. Wishes. Fears.

Everything seemed to play out before her like some old time cinema.

_"Has there been any change?"_

Callie jumped at the voice she thought she heard. It had been so quiet, she was unsure of whether or not it had been real. Her eyes remained closed and her mind continued to hang between reality and...some place else. Hannah was still sleeping, or she assumed she was sleeping, next to her.

Voices from far away, whispers at best, seemed to be just beyond her reach. She slowed her breathing in the hopes of clarifying what she thought was being said around her.

_"Arizona Renee Robbins."_

Arizona! The owner of the voice was addressing Arizona. Her Arizona. She was elated, but she refrained from becoming overly so. Whatever state of mind she was currently in was allowing her to hear...whatever she was hearing. Even if it was a trick of her imagination, it was a sweet trick, nonetheless, that she would take part in.

Words starting coming to her more quickly. She was able to identify the voice as belonging to Arizona's mother, Diedre.

_"You know what I mean, Arizona. Have you slept much at all since Daniella was born?"_

Wait. Daniella? Her daughter. Diedre was talking to Arizona about their daughter! She wanted to see her baby again. She wanted to touch her. A voice, a different voice from the one she'd heard, came to her and she nearly cried at the melodic quality of it.

_"I don't know how to sleep without her, Mama."_

Arizona! The voice was Arizona's and it was pained. Sad. Mournful. Was Arizona talking about her? She was here! Wherever here was. She wanted to tell her partner that. She wanted her to know that, whether it was real or not, she could hear her.

_"I'll watch her while you sleep. When was the last time they turned Callie?"_

What? Turned? Where was she? If she was with Arizona, how could her lover not know how to sleep without her? She wished she could get their attention. If she could, she could let them know that she was here! She was here! Damnit! Arizona sounded so sad, so defeated and heartbroken. She needed to comfort her.

Colors swirled around her in a milky haze. She realized her eyes were open. When had that happened? Her view seemed to switch and tear between where she was with Hannah and...some other place entirely. A flash of blonde hair caused her heart to race, but it was gone before she could focus her attention on it.

Once again, voices floated around her. They sounded disembodied, as if they were being spoken through a long tunnel.

_"Don't argue. I'll call a nurse to take Daniella to the nursery and when she needs to be fed, I'll do it. You're going to sleep, here, right next to Callie. I don't think she'll mind. So, come on. Hop up here. You've got about 3 hours until she needs to be moved again."_

Callie didn't know what to think. She didn't know if she should open her eyes and try to speak or if she should just remain silent and listen. She still wasn't sure of what exactly she was experiencing and she was so afraid that if she moved or did anything at all, she'd cause whatever was happening to stop. She didn't want that. Though Arizona's voice had sounded sad, it had still been _her_ voice. It had still been _her._

_"Sleep, honey. You'll feel better. I'll take care of Daniella, okay?"_

Diedre's words were barely audible. They sounded like they were walking away from her. Panicking, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The sight that greeted her nearly stilled her heart.

Arizona was lying next to her. But, she wasn't. What...? How...? Callie looked down and took in her lover's features. Arizona was right next to her, but Callie couldn't touch her. She appeared ethereal. Instead of Hannah lying at her side, Arizona was. The blonde seemed to flicker and fade in and out of existence. Looking around her, the Latina realized that she was still in her bedroom.

Hannah was nowhere to be seen. A familiar scent caught her attention.

Japanese cherry blossoms.

How could she not touch Arizona, yet still be able to smell her. Was any of what she was seeing real?

She didn't care. Arizona was next to her. She was with her. Nothing else mattered. Tears fell from her eyes the longer she looked at the blonde. Though the smaller woman's eyes were closed, Callie continued to stare at her as if they were having an everyday conversation.

Something begged for her attention and when she focused on it, the news it brought to her was, slightly, unsettling.

She couldn't move to touch Arizona in any way but, somehow, she could feel the weight of Arizona's body against her own. Not only her weight, but her warmth. She could feel her breath against her chest and the, slight, beating of her heart.

If what she was experiencing was a trick of her imagination, then why did it feel so real?


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

**-11 months ago-**

Arizona Robbins entered her home and placed her purse on the table next to the door. She scanned the area in her immediate vicinity and noticed no sign of her girlfriend. Entering the foyer and turning to her left, she walked down the few steps that led into the living room and gave it a quick glance around.

"Calliope?" she said into the eerie silence.

A steady beating, a thumping sound perhaps, vibrated through her body and she raised her eyes to the ceiling above her. Exiting the living room and re-entering the foyer, she ascended the large staircase directly in front of the front door and made her way to the second floor of her home. The cadence of the steady beat seemed to get louder the closer she progressed to her bedroom.

Words, though slightly hard to understand, swam to her ears and were in rhythm with the rate of music she, now knew, she was hearing.

_'Missy be puttin it down_

_I'm the hottest roun'_

_I'll tell y'all mother "Uhh"_

_Y'all can't stop me now_

_Listen to me now_

_I'm lastin 20 rounds'_

Arizona cocked her head to the side and eyed the door to her room with caution. She could barely hear herself think over the deep beats, let alone the female rapper continually telling her to _'get your freak on_.' Bracing herself for whatever sight could possibly greet her upon opening the door, Arizona grabbed the handle and slowly turned it.

_'Who's that bitch?_

_People you know.. Me & Timbalan' been hott since 20 years ago_

_What the dilly yo, now what the drilly yo,_

_If you wanna battle me then "Nigaaah"..Let me know_

_"Hollaahh"..Got the feelin son'_

Callie's voice carried over that of the female rapper and was the first thing Arizona noticed when she caught sight of her fiance. The second thing she took note of was the fact that the dark skinned Latina was rolling her hips in an, extremely, provocative way while her ebony colored hair was tousled and falling around her shoulders. A pair of aviator sunglasses were barely visible on Callie's face and Arizona snickered to herself when she saw them.

Her eyes continued to peruse her lover, who was still oblivious to the blonde's arrival. Callie was wearing a black pair of boy shorts that only accentuated her thighs and the rest of her legs. A navy blue tank top hugged her torso and left nothing to the imagination as it only went down to just below her navel.

Arizona found herself watching the seductive sway of Callie's hips as she moved and sang along to the song she was listening to. Ever so often, the Latina would raise her hands away from her body and, as a result, her tank top would rise higher along her midsection. The blonde's blue eyes took in the sight before her and smiled. Leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest, she listened and watched the woman she loved.

_'QUIET! (Shhh...) Hush ya mouth, silence when I...spit it out,_

_In your face, open ya mouth,_

_Gi'you a taste, "Hollaahh" Ain't no stoppin me,_

_Copy written so..Don't copy me,_

_Ya'll do it.. sloppaly,_

_And ya'll can't come..close to me_

_I know you feel me now_

_I know you hear me loud_

_I scream it loud'n proud_

_Missy gon' blow it down_

_People gon' play me now_

_In "n" outta town_

_Cause I'm da best aroun'_

_Wit da crazy style_

Arizona wouldn't say that Callie was the best rapper around, though she'd be the first to admit she wasn't the best judge, but her girlfriend could keep up with the beat and the rhythm and that was more than she could say for herself. Overall, Callie's voice was pleasant and she found herself wondering if the other woman could carry a tune to other types of music. The knowledge that she didn't know something about Callie struck her as both odd and endearing.

"You know it's like 38 degrees outside and you're in here barely dressed, right?"

Her voice caused Callie to jump. Spinning around, the Latina grabbed her chest with one hand and used the other to lower the glasses on her face. Her eyes were wide and embarrassment was clear on her features. The song came to an end around them and Callie rushed to the stereo system to switch it off.

"Arizona, what are you doing home? I wasn't expecting you until after eight." she asked

The blonde pushed herself away from the door and entered her room. Her eyes made no show of enjoying the skin on display before her. When she was standing in front of Callie, she raised her hands and removed the glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. Tossing them on the bed to her left, she ran her hands through her lover's hair.

"I finished early. Judging by your poor taste in music, it's probably a good thing I came home. You needed to be rescued." she said, playfully.

Callie scoffed and stepped away from her.

"Missy Elliot_ is_ good taste in music. How have you never heard that song?" she asked, trying to appear offended. Under her breath she added, "It should be our theme song."

Arizona removed her scarf and jacket and walked to Callie's side of the bed. Placing her belongings in a chair next to the bed, she flopped down on the mattress and looked up at her partner. Callie was watching her with amusement. Her embarrassment was slowly leaving her body.

"So, you always dress like that when you listen to Missy?"

The raven haired woman shook her head and laughed. Sitting on the bed next to the blonde's head, Callie ran her hand across her cheek and said, "Um, yeah, this was something you weren't ever supposed to know about me."

"But, I want to know everything about you. Especially if they involve you in so few articles of clothing." Arizona countered.

Callie didn't retort. She felt her girlfriend sitting up next to her and, after a moment, the blonde was straddling her hips and resting her arms around her neck. The warmth of her body immediately flooded Callie's senses. She wrapped her arms, loosely, around Arizona's hips and looked up to meet her eyes.

"So, you're an exotic dancer and a rapper. What else do I need to know about you?"

The Latina smiled and pursed her lips in a mock show of contemplation. She felt a soft, simple kiss on her chin and it made her heart beat faster in her chest.

"Well, I'll have to give you a lap dance sometime and show you my real skills as a dancer. And, the rapping? Not really my strong suit. You should hear me sing."

Arizona pulled away from kissing Callie's chin, neck, and jaw and locked her gaze with steady brown. Her brow was lowered and it was obvious to her partner that she was trying to determine the authenticity of her statement.

"I've heard you hit some pretty impressive octaves when I've gone to your buffet." she said dryly.

Callie laughed and tightened her hold around her.

"You're such a perv, Arizona. That doesn't count as singing."

Raising her brows, the blonde locked her jaw and eyed her suspiciously. "Hmm." was all she said.

"What?" Callie asked.

"Sing for me, then."

"Now?"

"Yes."

The Latina stood up, quickly, and brought Arizona with her. The blonde wrapped her legs around her hips to steady herself and looked at her questioningly.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Callie walked across their bedroom and used her right foot to kick open the door to their bathroom. Once inside, she brought the blonde down to stand in front of her and proceeded to unbutton her shirt.

"I'll surprise you." she said, simply, ignoring the confused look from her partner.

Undoing the last button, Callie opened Arizona's shirt and allowed her fingers to feast on the skin now bare before her.

"Surprise me?" the smaller woman questioned, her voice lower than it had been.

Callie nodded her head and brought her hands down to the button of the blonde's jeans. She could hear Arizona's breathing becoming shallow and it brought a smile to her lips.

"Yeah, when you least expect it, I'll sing to you. Right now, I want to make love to you in the shower."

**-Present Day-**

Carlos Torres stood next to his daughter's bed and looked down upon her with sad eyes. His wife, Amalia, stood to his right and held his hand tightly. When he'd first gotten the call from Arizona a few days earlier, he's been unable to understand what exactly the young blonde woman was talking about. How could Calliope,_ his_ Calliope, be in a coma? It hadn't made sense to him. The terseness of Arizona's words as she'd explained the situation to him had only added to the gravity of the situation. Callie was in a coma. She'd barely been conscious when she'd gone into labor and now, six days later, she'd not even gotten to meet the life she'd carried and brought into the world.

Granted, Daniella wasn't his biological grandchild, and that fact had taken some getting used to, but she had been carried by his daughter. Her life was a blessing. Callie had nurtured her, shared her body with her and given her life. He had yet to meet Daniella. When he'd arrived at the hospital, Mark Sloan and Teddy Altman had noticed him and quickly shown him to his daughter's room. His wife had been beside herself on their way to Seattle and was, even now, shaking as tears ran down her cheeks.

Arizona had not been present when he and Amalia had arrived. That had shocked him a bit, but Teddy had informed him that both Arizona and her mother, Deidre, had gone to pick up Daniella from the nursery.

_"Mija_..." he said in his gravelly tone of voice. Callie looked so frail to him. So small. "I told you I always had to be there to catch you...but you didn't believe me."

Amalia squeezed his hand and stepped around him so that she was at the head of her daughter's bed. Brushing Callie's hair away from her face, she cupped her cheek before leaning down to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. Her tears were white hot as they slipped from her eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Torres."

Arizona's voice caught them both by surprise. Amalia stood up, her eyes red and wet from her tears while Carlos straightened his jacket and cleared his throat at their arrival. Deidre stepped away from her daughter and entered the room first. She and Amalia hugged one another, fondly.

"I'm so sorry we're all meeting like this." the older Robbins said softly. Her hands remained on Amalia's shoulders as she threw a look over her shoulder at Arizona. "But, I think you'll both enjoy meeting someone."

Arizona took the cue her mother had provided her and stepped into Callie's room. In her arms, wrapped in a light pink blanket was a beautiful little girl with dark brown, almost black curly hair and a deep tan complexion. A small button nose, perfectly shaped lips and tiny ears all came together to compliment, one, Daniella Ana Torres-Robbins.

Amalia stepped away from Deidre and walked towards Arizona.

"Oh..." was all she was able to say when she stopped in front of the blonde.

A bright yellow cap sat atop Daniella's head, but her dark hair could be seen underneath it. Her eyes were open and, though she couldn't see very much yet, looking around the room.

"She's beautiful, Arizona." Callie's mother said. "She has beautiful eyes."

Arizona held her, securely, against her chest and smiled down at her. "Yeah, she is. She has a 3% chance to have blue eyes, but I'm hoping she'll have dark eyes like Calliope."

Silence made itself comfortable around everyone. Carlos stepped away from Callie's bed and walked over to join his wife in front of Arizona. The next hour was spent talking, praying, and getting acquainted with Daniella. Arizona tried to ignore the steady beeping of the machines around her and, instead, focus her attention on the lavish amounts of praise her daughter was receiving from her grandparents.

She did her best to explain Callie's medical condition to Carlos and Amalia. What they both knew of comatose patients was limited to what they'd seen in movies and tv had asked her at one point if they should prepare themselves for Callie being in a coma for an extended period of time. Arizona hadn't known how to answer. She, herself, had wondered the same thing. There was nothing definitive about a coma. They were still somewhat of a medical enigma. She, nor Callie's doctors, had any way of knowing how long she would remain comatose. When she'd explained as much to Callie's mother, the woman, who looked so much like Callie, had asked her how long she planned on living in the hospital.

"I-I really haven't given it much thought, Mrs. Torres. I can't think about leaving her." she said, her eyes glancing at her partner's prone form.

Amalia smiled ruefully and said, "I know, Arizona, but you can't honestly want Daniella remaining here for so long."

Before the blonde could reply, Carlos cleared his throat and spoke up. "You need to worry about Daniella. Let us worry about Calliope. We can fly her home to Florida. She'll have the best doctors I can provide and I'll make sure she has around the clock care and surveillance."

"Carlos-" Amalia started, but her husband continued on as if he'd not heard her.

"She needs to be looked after, Amalia. She's _my_ little girl. We'll fly her home and-"

"You're not flying her anywhere. Her care is up to Arizona."

Deidre stood from her chair and looked down at Carlos. Her eyes were darker than they had been.

"Mama-" Arizona said. She couldn't believe Mr. Torres was actually trying to take Calliope away from her. He'd come a long way to accepting their relationship and had, even, been present during their wedding. Though he'd held out some reservations about their decision regarding Daniella's conception, he'd not stood in Callie's way when she'd reminded him that he had asked her, upon first finding out about her relationship, whether or not grand-kids would be a part of his future.

Now, the same man she'd stood up to for Callie was the same man trying to take her away.

"No, Arizona." Deidre said before looking back at Carlos. "Arizona is her wife. That may be something you don't recognize, but it's something your daughter does. She wouldn't want to wake up and find out that her wife and child are in a whole other state. She would want to be _here_, with Arizona and Daniella. My daughter has worn herself ragged worrying about Callie. She's barely slept, barely eaten. But, she's been _here_. She's cared for Daniella despite her heart being torn into pieces. Arizona has been a good man in a storm. That's the way she was raised! And you want to reward that by taking away the one person who means everything to her?"

"Mama, please. He's just worried-"

Carlos squared his shoulders and met Deidre's heated gaze. "I don't have to explain anything to you. Calliope is _my_ daughter. _My_ flesh and blood. I'm not denying that Arizona has done all she can, but now it's time for me to do all that _I_ can. I can't just allow her to lay in this hospital bed when I could do something to ensure she has better care!"

Daniella's startled cry silenced anything further either Carlos or Deidre had to say. Arizona attempted to calm her, but the tenseness in her body must have been picked up by the infant because she refused to stop crying. It broke Arizona's heart hearing Daniella's sad, wailing cries.

Deidre and Amalia, both, attempted to help her.

"Shhh, shhh, come to your _abuela_. It's okay. It's okay." Amalia whispered at Arizona's side.

The blonde decided to pass Daniella into her care since she was the most calm of everyone present in the room. Running her hands through her hair, she swallowed and shook her head.

"Mama, I appreciate your concern and yours as well, Mr. Torres. Know this, I respect you because Calliope does, but if you try to take her away from me, I'll fight you on it. If you really want that, then it's on you. I know you're worried about her. I am, too. You're her father and she loves you. But, she's my responsibility now. She became so when we got married. I vowed to love, honor, and protect her through the good and the bad, through sickness and in health. I promised to always be there for her. I'll not have you being the reason that I broke those vows. Calliope's staying here, with me. End of discussion."

**-11 months ago-**

Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona's body and kissed her nose and forehead. The two of them had, recently, exited the bathroom after making love in the shower. She and the blonde were both laying on their sides, facing one another. Arizona's body was still warm from the heat of the shower and her hair was still wet. Moving to pull the comforter over their bodies, Callie settled back down against her lover and, once again, pulled her close.

Her lips continued to run across Arizona's face in a lazy haze.

"You're really, really, good at sex, Callie. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

The Latina laughed and lightly scratched the blonde's back with her nails.

"You're really, really good at shattering a moment, Arizona. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Arizona dropped her left hand to the curve of Callie's hip and ran her fingers along the soft skin she found. Leaning forward, she kissed Callie's throat and said, "I called my dad today."

"Um, okay. That was a change in our conversation." Callie said, confused. "Don't you call him every day?"

Arizona allowed a few moments to pass between them before she answered. Her hand was enjoying the feeling of Callie's skin and the motion her fingers were in across her hip was comforting to her. Kissing the Latina's chin, she settled back on her pillow.

"Yes, I do call him every day, but this was different."

"Hmm, how so?" Callie hummed back. She was getting sleeping. Her lover's body, gentle touches, and soothing voice were her undoing.

She loved falling asleep with Arizona like this. The soft whispers to one another, the exploratory, yet, knowing touches, the tender kisses, they all allowed her to fall into a slow satisfying sleep.

"I told him he may want to ensure he has some time off next month."

Arizona's voice filtered into her thoughts and she shook the fog of sleep away from her mind. Trailing the fingers of her right hand over the blade of the blonde's left shoulder, she opened her eyes and pulled back to meet blue.

"Are we doing something next month? Are you planning to visit them or something?" Callie asked, sleepily.

"We need to start planning. Like, right away. We have so much to do and so little time to do it. I know your parents will want to come, especially your mother. I'm dying to meet her, by the way. Teddy and Mark and Lexie and Meredith can all help with the arrangements. I wouldn't trust Cristina to do anything, though. We can do it here. It'll be cold, but really romantic. Now, I know you love to cook, but you'll have other things to worry about. So, we're going to have to hire someone. I wonder if that place over on-

Arizona's rambling verbal display came to an abrupt stop when Callie shook her shoulder suddenly.

"What are you talking about? You're confusing the hell outta me!" she asked loudly.

The blonde smiled at her, sheepishly, and bit her lip before opening her mouth to speak.

"Umm, so, how do you feel about getting married next month?"


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

"Hannah?"

Callie gently shook the small child to gain her attention. Hannah rolled onto her side and looked up with tired eyes. She said nothing, but the expression on her face told Callie she was expecting a question of some sort.

"What's wrong with you?" the tall Latina asked quietly.

Hannah closed her eyes and sighed. Her breath sounded ragged.

"Nothing, CC."

Rolling Arizona's daughter onto her back and forcing her to stay awake, Callie brushed soft curls away from Hannah's face and shook her head.

"Stop lying to me. Are you sick? Can you even get sick here? You said Arizona wouldn't like it if I went to the other place. Are you about to go there?"

Her questions fled from her mouth and danced on the air between she and Hannah. The small girl had become more and more taciturn. Not only was she refusing to help Callie with her silence, she was getting weaker as time moved on. Her coloring was beginning to pale, her eyes were lacking their normal luster and her breathing seemed, to Callie, to become more and more of a struggle. Most of the time, Hannah slept while Callie found herself working on a way to get back to Arizona.

She'd not told Hannah about seeing and feeling Arizona next to her. The experience had been too surreal. More so than her current experience. Initially, she'd not known what to make of it. Had her partner really been lying next to her? Had she actually heard Arizona and Deidre talking about her and her condition? Was any of it real or had her mind just been playing tricks on her?

Whatever it had been, she hadn't experienced it again. She couldn't even recall how long it had been since it had happened. Though her questions kept her continually alert and confused, her limbo-like state had become something of a comfort. She'd finally come to accept that she couldn't leave until she figured out whatever was keeping her trapped.

What that something was still eluded her. Her mind had begun going over the different places she and Hannah had 'traveled'. Bits and pieces of different settings and times made some small amount of sense to her, but others refused to grant her the grace of their answers.

She knew a large part of what her mind was trying to tell her had to do with her fears over losing Arizona. The rest remained a mystery to her. What was she missing?

"I've already been there, CC." Hannah said softly, in answer to her earlier voiced question.

Her answer sent chills down Callie's spine. Their icy roots settled in her stomach and jabbed at her insides. She felt an anxious wave of foreboding ripple across her body.

"You've been there? How is that? What is it?"

Again, her questions left her mouth more quickly than she'd intended. Hannah took a deep breath and it rattled against her ribcage. Her blue eyes found Callie and she smiled slightly.

"It's not a bad place, CC. It's just not a place for you. Mommy already cried for me when I went there. I don't want her crying for you. You have to stay here and I'm just ke-"

"Keeping me company. I know. You've said that. You always say that. What does that even mean, Hannah?

"You know what it means, Callie."

The Latina's dark eyes widened at the use of her name. Hannah had only ever called her 'CC'. She'd never called her 'Callie' before. She couldn't understand why now, of all times, Hannah was choosing to use her full name as opposed to a nickname. She watched as the young girl continued to breath heavily. Her eyes slowly closed and silence descended upon the shapeless area they were in. A notion was slowly forming in her mind. She allowed it to bloom. It became an idea, a thought. Maybe she was placing too much of a literal sense on Hannah's words. Perhaps her stating that she was keeping her company had nothing to do with where the two of them currently found themselves. Didn't it always work out that way in those weird head twister sci-fi movies?

"Hannah?" she asked slowly.

Weary blue eyes opened and found her questioning gaze. Callie swallowed her nerves and licked her lips before asking the question that had come to life in her mind.

"How long have you been keeping me company, baby?"

Smiling, truly, Hannah took a few deep breaths before answering her. She placed a small hand on top of the one Callie had on her chest and said, "Since you found out about me."

**-11 months ago-**

"Daddy, we want to have the wedding here. Arizona's parents are going to be flying in the week after next. My friends are helping with the arrangements. Besides, you and Mama haven't even been to see our new place yet."

"Calliope, you haven't been home in years. Why don't you just let me fly Arizona's parents out here, personally. You know how much your mother would love to help with the details."

Callie sighed and looked skyward as she listened to her father's voice on the other end of the phone. She'd been dreading calling him since Arizona had informed her she wanted the two of them to get married in the next couple of weeks. When the blonde had asked her how she felt about finally becoming official, Callie had been overjoyed. She'd always listened to her heart more than Arizona had. She was the passionate, impulsive one in their relationship.

Arizona had surprised her many times over the course of their journey together with her own passionate displays. The first time had been when the smaller woman told her she loved her. Callie had been wanting to tell Arizona how much she cared for her since the two of them had first made love. Remembering how things had turned out when she'd told George she loved him had prevented her from being able to say the words first to Arizona.

Though she and Arizona and been together for two years, Callie still found that she was hesitant in allowing her impulsivity to get ahead of her. It wasn't that she didn't trust Arizona with her feelings. She just knew how she, herself, could be. How she could get caught up in the moment. It was self-preservation more than anything else.

Despite that, Arizona had continued to shock her with her leaps and bounds in the name of their relationship. It was she who had asked Callie to marry her. It was she who had found a house for the two of them. Now, it was Arizona who was finally putting into action the plans to make their marriage a reality.

"Daddy, Mama can still help with the details. Here. Arizona's parents are expected to be here in two weeks. You have two weeks, Daddy, to do what you need to do. Please come here and see my new home. I'm happy, Daddy. Really, really happy. I want you to see that."

Carlos Torres was reticent for a moment. His daughter's words had been spoken with a strength of conviction he'd not often heard from her. In fact, he'd only ever heard that quality in Callie's voice when she spoke of Arizona. Or her feelings for Arizona.

"Okay, mija. I'll let your mother know the news and we'll fly out in a few weeks."

Callie sighed happily and a bright smile lit up her features. Closing her eyes, she continued to smile as she ran her fingers over the top of the kitchen table.

"Thank-you, Daddy."

"Calliope, this is what you want, isn't it? You're sure about this?"

The dark skinned woman didn't take offense at the questions. She'd, actually, been expecting them. Her father's acceptance of her relationship with Arizona had been a slow process. The man was nothing if not old fashioned. After her disastrous and failed marriage to George O'Malley, Callie could understand her father's need to ensure her own sentiments.

"This is everything I've ever wanted, Daddy. I'm me when I'm with her. I'm not the little girl you need to catch. I'm not the teenager who ran off that one weekend and wrecked your car. I'm not the confused and lonely resident taking impromptu trips to Vegas. I'm the me I've always wished I could be when she's with me. I've never been more sure about anything. This isn't some fly by romance. This isn't some need to satisfy a curiosity. I love her, Daddy."

Carlos caught himself smiling as he listened to his daughter's words of reassurance. Callie had always spoken to him freely. She'd rarely held anything back. Especially when it came to her relationships. From the time she'd been old enough to start dating, she'd been openly honest with him about her feelings, her questions, her emotions, and her heartaches. Listening to her talk about Arizona was different.

She meant the words. She felt them. She believed them.

"Well, I hope you're right about everything, Calliope. I'd hate to throw Arizona against a wall."

Laughing out loud, Callie ended her call and placed the phone next to her on the table. The ebony darkness of the night scape greeted her eyes while she looked past the sliding doors of the kitchen. Stars twinkled in the sky and the moon was full and round. It's milky golden glow cast a halo on the deck in the backyard. Arizona had been paged to the hospital an hour and a half earlier and the silence of their house was deafening to Callie now.

The repetitious ticking of the clock in the family room to her left soothed her heightened senses slightly. She found herself focusing on the sound of it as she stared at her reflection in the glass doors.

Arizona wanted to marry her. The gorgeous blonde with the amazing blue eyes who had kissed her at Joe's wanted to spend the rest of her life with her. The woman with the dimples and the super magic smile who had pursued her, been interested in her, was the woman who had found her and put her back together. Arizona Renee Robbins wanted to be with her. She loved her.

Callie, still, could barely allow herself to believe the truth of her life. She was no longer living in the basement of the hospital. She wasn't chasing after the 'heart in the elevator' guy. Gone were her days of being confused with Erica, sleeping with Mark, and lusting after Sadie. She wasn't watching her husband desire another woman. She wasn't suffocating with the responsibilities of Chief resident as her marriage fell apart around her. No longer was she struggling to keep her head above water.

She was whole. Complete. Sound. She was grounded yet, at the same time, she was on cloud nine because she was insanely in love. She was living in a beautiful home with the love of her life while her medical career was taking off. Her resident days were over. Arizona had pushed her and made her fight for her job and, now, she was an Attending.

Arizona Robbins was responsible for every good thing Callie had in her life. She was the base, the foundation, that Callie relied on. She was everything to her.

* * *

She jumped when she felt hands on her back. Realizing that she must have fallen asleep, she lifted her head and looked at the doors in front of her. Their reflection showed her she was no longer alone. Arizona was standing behind her with her hands on her shoulders.

"It's just me, baby." the blonde said softly before brushing her hair to the side of her neck.

Callie sighed when she felt warms lips press a tender kiss at the top of her spine. Arizona's hands kneaded her shoulders and their warmth spread, quickly, throughout the rest of her body.

"Let's get you to bed. Come on." Arizona whispered against her ear.

The dark haired woman allowed herself to be pulled up and led through the dining room, the living room, through the foyer and up the stairs towards her bedroom. Once she was in her room, Arizona walked her over to the bed.

The blonde pulled the comforter and sheets back and motioned for Callie to lie down.

"Take your jacket off. Lie down with me." Callie pleaded in quiet tones.

"I will, baby. I just want to shower first. Lie down. I'll join you in a bit. " Arizona responded.

Callie sat down on the bed and moved to her side under the weight of their comforter. She heard Arizona moving to the other side of the room and when she became settled, she saw that the other woman was kneeling on the floor next to her. The blonde smiled at her and pushed her hair away from her face.

"You are so beautiful to me." she whispered.

Callie smiled and turned on her side so she could face her partner. She loved when Arizona was tender with her. The smaller woman was always loving towards her. She always took the time to show Callie how she felt, but there were times, like now, when she was overly gentle and open.

Callie adored those moments. Reaching out her left hand, she cupped the blonde's cheek and ran her thumb across the soft skin she was addicted to. Words weren't necessary. Arizona grabbed her wrist and squeezed gently. Leaning forward on her heels, she lightly kissed Callie's forehead.

"I'll join you soon, okay?"

The taller woman nodded before yawning and closing her eyes. She could feel herself sinking into the mattress of her bed. When she heard the bathroom door open, she rolled over.

"Arizona?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

* * *

When Arizona emerged from the bathroom, she found her lover fast asleep in their bed. She was facing in the blonde's direction with her hand stretched across her pillow. Smiling at the picture before her, Arizona quietly crossed the room and slipped under the covers to join the other woman.

Callie, immediately, reached out for her. The blonde rolled onto her side, so that she was facing the Latina, and wrapped her left arm around her. Feeling Callie snuggle against her neck and chest, she ran her nose through her hair and sighed.

"I can't wait to marry you." she whispered before falling asleep with her fiance.

**-Present Day-**

"This is unacceptable. It's been a week and there hasn't been any change! The doctors in this hospital have proven to be incompetent! Calliope's coming home with me. Tonight. If she stays here, she'll never leave this bed!"

Carlos Torres' voice was harsh as it cut into the hospital room. Derek Shepard, Miranda Bailey and Teddy Altman had recently left the room after checking on Callie's level of awareness. Teddy had diagnosed Callie with ataxic respiration when Arizona had informed her of the irregularities in her breathing. Derek and Miranda, both, had joined the cardio attending and confirmed the blonde's worst fear.

Callie was getting worse.

After Dr. Bailey had intubated Callie to help her breathe, she and her fellow attendings had left the room to allow Arizona a modicum of privacy. Carlos had stayed behind. Amalia and Deidre had gone to the cafeteria, earlier, leaving the two of them alone.

"She's not going anywhere. She has the best doctors looking over her care." Arizona said in a subdued voice. She was on the verge of tears. Her throat was tightening against her wishes and her fingers were trembling as they ran through her partner's hair. The tube in Callie's mouth, connected to a T-piece and a medical ventilator, left Arizona feeling sick to her stomach. This wasn't how the two of them were supposed to be spending the first week of their child's life.

Callie wasn't supposed to be in a hospital bed connected to monitoring equipment and a breathing apparatus. She wasn't supposed to be receiving nutrients and fluids through an I.V or being turned and moved every few hours to prevent severe complications. She wasn't supposed to be lying, unconscious, in a bed having nurses bathe her and their friends checking up on her.

They were supposed to be in their home complaining about their mutual lack of sleep. She and Callie should have been taking turns feeding Daniella, rocking her to sleep, and arguing over which one of them was going to change her diaper. Callie was supposed to be singing to her daughter and gracing her with the sound of her rich laughter. She had carried Daniella. Arizona's child. She had nurtured her for eight months and brought her into the world.

She deserved to meet the child she'd carried. She deserved to see the joy on Arizona's face when she held Daniella. She deserved her life. Her happiness. They both did.

"I'm not going to argue with you. I'm her father! If you're content to just let her die in this hospital then I question your commitment to her at all!" Carlos said, fury lacing the already potent heat of his words.

Something snapped inside Arizona as Mr. Torres' accusation bounced around her head and replayed itself over and over again. She was so tired of feeling as if she were fighting the world. All of their friends had done their best to keep her spirits high, but, she'd seen in their eyes the pity and fear they were all too afraid to admit. Her mother's presence had been a blessing at first, but even that had quickly become a burden.

Her parents expected a certain level of togetherness from her. They expected her to handle any situation with a cool head. They had raised her to accept things as they were, to hope and fight for the best, and to face forward in the face of any uncertain situation. Though she'd been able to cry once or twice since Deidre's arrival, she'd not allowed herself to feel the full impact of Callie's condition. She'd smiled and cared for Daniella and been a good man in a storm.

Her father had called the night before and informed she and her mother that he expected to be in Seattle sometime the next day. She knew that, when he arrived, she'd be expected, even more so, to keep her chin up and be the person Colonel Robbins had raised her to be.

She couldn't keep showing the world what it needed to see. She needed to cry, to breakdown. She needed a moment alone with Calliope.

"You dare question my commitment? You were the one who turned your back on her when you found out about me! You cut her off from your money and her family and you didn't think twice about it! She was devastated and you remained silent! When you did get back in touch with her, you tried to change her, to get her to conform to something you were comfortable with! She cried for you everyday and, yet, you were only concerned about what you could handle!"

Arizona's, normally bright, blue eyes were a dark sapphire and her words were spoken in a low gruff. She could feel her anger rising to her face and her heart steadily increased it's pace inside her chest. Carlos' shocked expression barely gave her pause.

"I've put up with your lack of respect where I'm concerned, but you'll not disrespect Calliope. She married me. She placed her trust and her care to me. You can fight that all you want. Do what you will, but like I said before, she's my responsibility. Mine! You're not taking her away from me. Now, get out."

Carlos cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, his only outward response to his uncertainty. He wasn't normally a man of few words, but life had just thrown him a curve ball and he found he was unsure of how to respond to it.

"What? You can't just-" he started.

"I said to. _Get. Out. Now._" Arizona's voice quivered and she could feel her body starting to shake. She rarely allowed herself to become so angry. Her body was unaccustomed to the sensations coursing through it.

Carlos headed towards the door, but stopped just shy of grasping the handle. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he met Arizona's stormy eyes.

"She's still my daughter and I want what is best for her. Remaining here is a death sentence and I can't allow that. She's flying home with me."

Arizona rested her weight on her arms and grabbed the safety rails of Callie's bed. Tears were stinging her eyes and clouding her vision.

"Get out." was all she said.

When Mr. Torres opened the door and left her alone, she collapsed on the floor and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears, hot, painful, tears slid down her face and neck and quickly cooled with their exposure to the hospital room. She could barely breathe through her sorrow. Her entire body was violently shaking and her mind was lost to her panic and fear.

The only thing, the only person, who held the power to heal her wounded soul was the quiet, comatose woman lying still in the bed next to her.

This wasn't how their life was supposed to be playing out.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N**:So, things get interesting this chapter. :D Keep in mind that this story still has about 10 months of back story to wade through to get us caught up with the present day events. If this chapter comes across as sporadic, then that's good. That was my intention. Hope everyone enjoys. All mistakes are mine.

**Chapter 20:**

Callie shook her head and attempted to clear her vision. She'd been experiencing an unsettling sensation for the past few hours. Had it only been hours? Perhaps it had been longer. Shorter? It was difficult to judge the passage of time where she was.

The sensation was a tugging feeling. It seemed to imminent from deep inside her. The weight of the sensation was almost a compulsion. She felt as if there was something she needed to do. Something was vying for her attention. The closest thing she could relate the unusual feeling to was the calling she'd felt when she'd first come to be where she was. Hannah had told her that the "other place" wasn't a place for her. She remembered the feeling as being one of darkness. Welcome, suffocating, darkness.

Her current sensation wasn't a heavy one. It didn't remind her of the "other place". It was something different. Something insistent.

She couldn't place a definite frame on how much time had actually passed since she'd come to be with Hannah. In her labyrinthine mind, the only things she could remember clearly were her moments in her own personal limbo. Had she been in this place for months? Years? Was her old life real at all?

Of course it was real. Arizona had been real. She had been whole with her. Hadn't she? Slowly, she tried to regain control of her wayward thoughts. She focused her attention on what Hannah had told her not so long ago.

According to the small girl, she had been keeping her company since she had found out about her. How was that possible? Every time Callie thought about the words and the notion behind them, she felt herself getting a headache. Was Hannah real or did she only represent something of great and vital importance to Callie?

"CC?"

Callie was about to respond when she heard whispers around her. Their nearly silent rasps grew in intensity, yet, she couldn't clearly make out their words. A steady, rhythmic tone caught her attention and she instantly recognized it.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Hannah.

The two of them were in the room she shared with Arizona in their home. More and more, Callie found herself in their space. It's surroundings were an immense comfort to her. Hannah was lying against the pillows of her bed, watching her. She said nothing, but her eyes belied the fact that, yes, she had heard the sound as well.

Callie stood from her bed and walked to the door of the room. The sound grew louder and the whispers became a crescendo. Before she could reach for the knob on the door, a static wave of bright, white, light spread out before her. It seemed to wash over everything around her and swallow anything in its path.

Shocked, she took a step back and turned around to question Hannah. The small girl was nowhere to be seen. The tall Latina felt fear glide up her spine. She was no longer in her bedroom. Instead, she found herself in the hallway just outside. What had happened? Everything was happening too quickly. Her mind couldn't focus on what was transpiring.

_"Calliope..."_

Someone whispered her name. It was soft and hard to hear.

"Hello?" Callie called out. Though she knew where she was, there was still a shade of foreboding and apprehension attached to the stretch of hallway before her. She looked to her right and, instead of seeing the foyer below her, saw nothing but a black wall of shimmering energy.

_"Please...come back...come back. Calliope..."_

The voice surrounded her again. It was louder this time. Frantic. Desperate. She knew the voice. It was her most favorite sound in all the world. She'd recognize it anywhere. Where was it coming from?

"Arizona?" she said in a shaky breath.

The tugging sensation pulled at her insides again. It was more peremptory than she'd felt before. A door at the end of the hallway emerged from the shadows and the compulsion to walk toward it nearly left her breathless.

_"I can't do this...I need you, Calliope. Please don't leave me here alone."_

Arizona's voice was heavy and ragged. Callie couldn't recall ever hearing it so scared and full of pain. Her partner was crying for her? Why? She was here! Swallowing past the tight lump in her throat, she slowly took a step toward the door.

"Arizona? I'm here. You're not alone. I'm coming for you..."

She took another step and then another. The steady tone she'd heard before increased with every move she made toward her destination. The hallway remained dark except for the door at the end of it. She could hear, as well as feel, the profound energy coming from the ebony wave of force to her right. It seemed to push in on her the closer she got to the door.

Was Arizona behind the door?

A sound came from behind her and she stopped. Her heart was beating in an erratic and unsteady pattern and her knees felt weak. All she could think of was getting to the door and comforting her partner.

_"Give me a sign, baby. Let me know I'm doing the right thing. Please...just give me something. Calliope...please...please..."_

Callie ignored the sound she'd heard behind her and started walking toward the door again. Arizona's voice was beginning to become drowned out by the whispers around her. Her own breathing was loud in her ears and the _thump, thump _of her feet as they connected with the wooden floor was like an explosion in her head.

Despite the strident noises around her, the pitter-patter of another set of footfalls behind her kept her moving at a steady pace. Finally, she came to a stop at the door and released a breath. Light from inside the room shown along its edges and gave her a sense of peace and hope.

Placing her hand on the door knob, Callie was about to turn it when she heard a voice behind her.

"CC, whose room is this?"

The dark skinned woman refused to turn away from the door. She was afraid that if she looked over her shoulder to answer Hannah's innocent question, then everything would fade away and she'd be back where she was. A large part of her was confused. She and Hannah had been lying in her room, each of them lost in their own thoughts, and then she'd heard whispers and promissory tones. Everything that happened afterwards had led her to this spot. This point.

Arizona could be waiting for her behind the door. She couldn't lose sight of what was right in front of her.

Closing her eyes, Callie gripped the handle more firmly and leaned her head against the door.

"This is Daniella's room. Her nursery." she answered in a tender tone.

The whispers dancing in the air around her receded and blinked out of existence. She felt her heart slowing it's beat inside her chest and, as a result, the high pressured sound assaulting her ears lowered quiescently.

"This is your hope?" Hannah asked.

Continuing to cling to the door, Callie nodded her head. Daniella was her hope. Her future.

"Hope makes you not scared anymore, huh?"

Again, Callie remained silent and shook her head in the affirmative. She was unsure what Hannah was leading up to, but she was willing to grant the young girl time to speak.

"Callie? What is hope the opposite of?"

The raven haired woman opened her eyes and had to stop herself from turning around to face Hannah. This was the second time Arizona's daughter had called her by her full name. Was there some significance to when she chose to use it?

The rhythmic sound started again and snapped her back to her present. It was louder now, clearer, and most definitely coming from behind the door. She tightened her hold on the door knob, once more, and took a breath.

"Fear, Hannah. Hope is the opposite of fear."

With those words, Callie twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

**-Present Day-**

After Mr. Torres had left, Arizona had remained on the floor for an undetermined amount of time. She'd cried into her hands and her lap as the sounds of Callie's machines seemed to mock her. Pain, almost unbearable, had assaulted her and ravaged her with a relentless fury.

At some point, she lost track of time. Emptiness settled over her and she looked up at the ceiling through watery eyes. This wasn't going to happen to her. Not again. It couldn't. Wasn't losing Hannah, her daughter, enough misery for one person to carry? Hadn't she paid her dues already? She'd moved forward with her life, as best as she could. She'd cleared the air and the past with her ex. She'd finally come to accept her daughter's passing and she'd found love, true love, with another person.

That person had opened up her world, her life, in ways she never thought possible. That person had pushed her, caught her, saved her and redeemed her. That person had given her joy and passion. She'd become her best friend as well as her wife. That person had convinced her to have another child. A child born of their love; a part of both of them.

She couldn't believe that life could be so harsh as to grant her the gift of another child only to take away the love of her life.

Standing up, she realized how tired she was. It had been a week since Callie had given birth. Their daughter had yet to even enter their home. Arizona knew she couldn't stay at the hospital forever. At some point, she'd have to take Daniella home. She'd have to leave Callie.

She couldn't do that. Callie was still here. She wouldn't leave her. Placing her arms on the guard rails of her partner's bed, the blonde looked down at her face and felt her throat constrict. Fresh tears came to life.

"Calliope?"

No response.

"Please...come back...come back. Calliope..."

Her voice was almost unknown to her. It lacked its musical quality. It was almost a burden to have to speak at all. The last time she'd heard her voice so raw had been when she'd discovered Hannah had passed away in her absence. That pain had been all consuming. The only way she'd ever been able to see around it had been in Callie's presence. If her lover died, who was supposed to pick up the pieces this time around?

"I can't do this...I need you, Calliope. Please don't leave me here alone."

Her tears were falling faster now and she could taste them as they slid down her face. She grabbed Callie's hospital gown and ball it between her fists. The body before her was so lifeless. Were it not for the machines around her telling her otherwise, Arizona would have been convinced that her partner had already passed on.

"Give me a sign, baby. Let me know I'm doing the right thing. Please...just give me something. Calliope...please...please..."

Leaning forward, she allowed her head to fall onto Callie's midsection. Her entire body shook and she could feel the difficulty she was having in maintaining a steady breathing pattern.

Rather quickly, she realized that she was starting to hyperventilate. Her chest was heavy. Her throat was tight and her tears were nearly drowning her. The only thing she wanted was Callie. If the other woman could give her something, anything, to go on, it would go a long ways in helping her to cope.

Arizona Robbins didn't like not having a definite plan of action. She didn't like her life to be without direction. For a week straight, she'd continued to sit by her wife's bed and be supportive and optimistic. For a week straight, she'd fed and loved and cared for their daughter. For a week straight, she'd grown more and more miserable as things continued to remain the same.

Now, Callie's parents were in town and her father was threatening to take Callie away from her. Legally, Arizona was Callie's sole caretaker. Legally, she was the one to whom all the decisions were left up to. But, Carlos Torres wasn't a man to be taken lightly. He wasn't a man without a few connections of his own. He was powerful. He was who he was and who he was, was a man that loved his daughter.

Arizona stood back up and sniffed back her tears. She didn't make any attempt to wipe away at the wetness on her face. Looking into Callie's face, the blonde locked her jaw and ran her fingers over the other woman's cheek bone.

As she stared at her partner, Arizona noticed a twitch from her eyes. She couldn't tell if the movement had been anything more than a blink or something more important.

"Calliope?" she whispered.

Moving to the head of the bed, she quickly wiped away the remnants of her tears and leaned over to look more closely at the other woman.

"Calliope, can you hear me?"

Again! The twitch! A deep line formed between Callie's eyes as she reacted to the sound of Arizona's voice. It was slight and barely noticeable, but it was something.

The smaller woman was overjoyed. The surge of euphoric emotions that flared inside her body nearly choked her. Callie was responsive! Arizona tried to remain calm. It was very likely that she was only seeing what she wanted to see. Her partner could, very well, only be displaying muscle contractions.

"Calliope, baby? Please...if you can hear me, give me a sign. Squeeze my hand, blink, do something. Please, baby."

Arizona grabbed Callie's left hand with her own and stared into her face intently. The tube allowing her partner to breathe covered up much of her features, but the blonde kept her attention on Callie's eyes. Time appeared to drag and slow and finally come to a stand still. For several, agonizingly, long moments, Arizona received no reaction from her lover. Callie remained silent and still.

The happy, uplifting feelings that had rushed through her body just minutes before, were quickly starting to evaporate. She'd imagined things. She had to of. Callie was making no attempts to alert the blonde to her awareness.

_"Please._..baby.._.please_ let me know you're still with me."

Arizona's tone matched the heaviness and longing desperation of her heart's sorrow.

_"Please_..." she whispered again.

Just as the blonde headed woman was about to accept defeat and move back to her chair, a sudden, tight grasp of fingers around her hand begged her to stay. Arizona's heart jumped into her throat and she jerked her head back up to Callie's face.

The other woman's brow was scrunched and furrowed and her eyes were blinking and moving quickly behind her closed lids. The mouth piece helping Callie to breathe started to move, slightly, as she, no doubt, became aware of its intrusion.

"Callie? I'm here, darling. I'm right here. Come back to me. Everything's okay."

Arizona was speaking quickly and her words were broken and jumbled. She squeezed her partner's hand in a comforting gesture and used her free hand to move hair away from Callie's eyes. Emotions were running rampant through her body and her mind was aflame with questions, worries, needs, wants, wishes, hopes, fears, and choices. She knew she needed to call Derek, but she was too afraid she'd miss something. Besides, the nurses watching the monitors at the Nurses' station had probably already noticed something was different.

Searching Callie's face, Arizona felt a smile, a hopeful smile, spread across her features. Callie continued to contort her face and blink rapidly. A sound, almost like a groan, made it's way to the blonde's ears. The only other movement the peds surgeon was aware of, was the occasional tightening of fingers around her hand.

Suddenly, all movement stopped. Callie's body slackened once again and her hand went limp in Arizona's. Breathing quickly, the blonde looked down at their hands and shook her head.

"No..." she pleaded.

Her eyes traveled back up to the other woman's face and she felt her breath leave her body before slamming back into her ribcage.

Staring back at her with half-lidded, hazy and unfocused eyes was Callie.


	22. Chapter 21

**-10 months ago-**

"Arizona...stop it. My parents are right down the hall."

Callie's whispered cry of protest only caused the blonde to giggle. The hand she currently had under her girlfriend's shirt continued unfettered on it's path to higher ground.

"I mean it. You know I can't be quiet. My father will hear me and you know that won't be good."

The Latina's parents had arrived in Seattle early that morning, a day after Arizona's parents. Carlos had wanted to see about getting a hotel for he and Amalia, but Callie had been insistent that they, at least, stay for one night.

Feeling her lover's hands on her skin, she questioned her state of mind when she'd offered their home to her parents. What had she been thinking?

"You can be quiet, baby. Just try really hard." Arizona said against her lips before her fingers brushed along the underside of her breasts.

She ran her fingers, slowly, teasingly, across Callie's sensitive flesh and was soon rewarded by the other woman's sharp gasp.

"Yeah...like that. Don't get any louder than that, okay?"

The blonde's question was voiced in a husky whisper and it did nothing to stop the increasingly pleasurable throbbing between Callie's legs. Her breathing quickened and she felt her throat go dry when she felt Arizona take one of her nipples between her thumb and forefinger.

"Arizona...please..." she begged.

She wasn't sure if she was begging for the smaller woman to stop or pleading with her to continue. Her skin was on fire and, if she was honest with herself, a part of her was enjoying the idea, the excitement, of knowing there were other people in their house. When she and Arizona had been living with Cristina and Owen, the two of them had tried to keep their audible enjoyment of each other to a tolerable level. Seeing as how all four of them were adults, understanding was given when things, occasionally became more frantic.

This, however, was different. The other people sleeping in their home weren't her friends and fellow doctors. They were her parents. Arizona's parents. When she'd met Daniel Robbins the day before, she'd finally understood her partner's authority issues. The older man cut an imposing figure. Standing at 6'3 with a broad chest, intense blue-gray eyes and clipped salt and pepper hair, Daniel Robbins wasn't a man someone could easily overlook or ignore.

That wasn't to say that he was rude or condescending in any way. Quite the opposite, Col. Robbins was open and friendly. He was inquisitive and well mannered. His steely eyes watched everything with amused interest. Despite his down to earth manner, Callie knew, without a doubt, that she never wanted to get on his bad side. Daniel Robbins came complete with a no nonsense attitude.

Deidre, Arizona's mother, was everything Callie had been expecting her to be. She felt as if she already knew the older woman. Her hair was darker than Arizona's but her eyes, her eyes were exactly the same as her daughter's. Deidre was slim, taller than Arizona, with a more tanned complexion. Her personality, too, matched what Callie was used to. She was smart, funny, and witty with a dry sense of humor. Callie, upon meeting her, saw where her partner got her perky attitude.

In short, the Latina adored Arizona's parents. Deidre had rambled on, for what seemed like hours, about how utterly gorgeous she thought Callie was. Daniel had been impressed with Callie's line of work and even spent a large amount of time questioning her about her research.

"Stop thinking about things."

Callie sighed and gripped Arizona's shoulder with her right hand. The two of them were facing one another and their breaths were hot as they mingled together. Digging her nails into her partner's skin, Callie jerked when she felt Arizona's hand slide low down her stomach. Her mouth opened, but no words issued forth.

"Don't get loud, baby. Just keep looking at me and try to be quiet." the blonde whispered before capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

Her hand found the waistband of Callie's pajama bottoms and she quickly worked on pushing her fingers into the fabric. Callie's stifled moan caused her to quicken her movements with renewed vigor. Seeing her partner's eyes, dark and wanton, and feeling her desperate hold on her shoulder was incredibly sexy to Arizona. She tugged on Callie's bottom lip with her teeth before gliding her fingers over her heated core. Even through her underwear, Arizona could tell that the other woman was extremely wet.

Never failed.

"Please...please..."Callie whispered as quietly as she could. Her hand fell from the blonde's shoulder and landed in the curve of her neck. She quickly threaded her fingers in Arizona's golden tresses and swallowed another moan.

"I'll make it quick. Hot...but quick. Remember, no screaming, baby."

With those words, Arizona's fingers found Callie's swollen and engorged clit and she immediately started rubbing fast circles over it. The raven haired woman moaned, loudly, despite herself before throwing her right leg over Arizona's hip. Pushing her hips against the other woman, Callie clung to her body and buried her face in her shoulder. Her hands traveled up the back of Arizona's head and tugged on her hair.

Hoping the blonde's shoulder would muffle the sounds of her pleasure, Callie allowed herself to moan and enjoy the heated friction burning her center.

The sounds of their lovemaking, though lessened by both of their attempts, quickly filled their room. Arizona's heavy breathing, as she continued to stroke her lover, and Callie's choked, nearly sobbing, moans coupled with the creaking of their bed from their movements all came together to form the music to their sensual dance of passion.

Feeling herself starting to come, Callie moved her hips faster and dug her foot into the small of Arizona's back. The searing, almost painful, pulsations that ripped through her body a moment later caused her to bite down on the blonde's neck in an effort to not offend her parents with the sound of her release. She heard the smaller woman gasp, but she was too lost in her orgasm for it to matter.

The liquid heat that formed at her opening would have burned Arizona's hand had not her underwear been present to prevent such a thing.

After a time, Callie felt the throbbing quakes start to weaken and become less frequent. The intensity of her orgasm left her breathless. Arizona hadn't been joking when she'd told her she would make things hot and quick.

Before either woman could say anything, a door closing at the end of the hall caught their attention.

"Shit!" Callie exclaimed before disentangling herself from her partner's body.

Arizona laughed at her display and rolled over to lie on her back. Throwing her arms over her eyes, she couldn't stop the erupting laughter that bubbled up her throat. Callie flung herself under their comforter and continued to curse to herself. When she realized that Arizona wasn't going to stop laughing any time soon, she poked her head out from under its hiding spot and glared at her.

"Would you shut up? This is all your fault!"

The blonde giggled and a snort accompanied the sound. Upon hearing it, Arizona burst into another fit if laughter. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she lowered her left hand to place it on her chest. Risking a look at Callie, she attempted to bring her mirth down a notch or two.

"What? My fault? What's my fault? It's my fault someone opened a door?"

The Latina pushed herself up on her elbows and gave her partner an incredulous look.

"You know what I'm talking about! That's probably my father. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't standing at the door this very minute!"

Arizona snorted again and used her hands to wipe away her tears. Turning over, she met Callie's eyes and smirked.

"You know, that would make him a dirty old man. He'd deserve whatever he heard if he had the audacity to stand at our door."

Callie bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing but seeing the playful banter dancing behind Arizona's blue eyes shattered her defenses. Her smile caused her full lips to part and a moment later, the bright flash of her teeth heralded her impending laughter.

The rich sound of it brought Arizona to another laughing fit and the two of them soon found themselves unable to stop themselves. Every time Callie thought the absurdity of the moment had passed, she'd catch her lover's eyes and the two of them would start all over again.

The sound of footfalls outside their room quickly put an end to their not so innocent giggle fest. Both women held their breaths as they waited to hear the welcome sonority of a door closing again. Instead, a raspy voice, laced with a fair amount of humor, wafted to both of their ears.

_"Puedo escucharlas ahi dentro, buenas noches"_

Arizona looked to Callie and saw a look between stricken and amused on her face. Releasing a breath, she looked toward their bedroom door and scrunched her brow.

"Umm, was that your mother?"

Callie nodded and turned to look at her. "Maybe she just went to the bathroom downstairs and heard us laughing when she came back up here?"

The dark skinned woman was praying with everything she was that her mother had not heard the two of them making love. Somehow, that thought was more disturbing to her than the idea of her father standing outside their bedroom door.

"What did she say?" Arizona asked cautiously.

Callie raised an eyebrow and looked to her left.

"She said this was all your fault."

The blonde scoffed and grabbed the pillow behind her. Hitting Callie with her weapon of choice, she shook her head in disbelief.

"She did not say that, Calliope. My Spanish isn't so bad that I'd be that gullible."

The Latina smiled and grabbed Arizona's pillow before she could enforce her disbelieving stance any further. Shoving the smaller woman back on the bed, Callie used her larger frame to her advantage and pinned Arizona beneath her.

The blonde stopped fighting and allowed her lover to dominate her. Her face mirrored the change and she looked up at Callie adoringly.

The two women stared at each other for several moments, both lost in their thoughts about the other. Smiling, Callie traced the lines of Arizona's face and leaned down to gently kiss her lips.

"She said she could hear us. Then she told us good night. That's all."

The blonde licked her lips, enjoying the taste of her partner on them, and nodded her head. Silence engulfed them once again. Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie and pulled her down on top of her more fully. Sighing, she kissed the Latina's ear.

"I love you, Calliope. I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow."

Callie adjusted herself so that the smaller woman wasn't receiving so much of her weight and smiled.

"I know, me either. It's everything I've ever wanted."

Propping herself back up onto her elbow, Callie looked down into Arizona's face before continuing.

"You're everything I've ever wanted. I love you so much, Arizona."

**-Present Day-**

"Oh, God...baby...oh, thank God. Hey beautiful. Hey..."

Arizona words were hard to understand as they fled from her lips. She was breathing so quickly and so heavily, due to her elation, that she could barely get herself to form the words coherently. Her sobs, happy as they were, didn't help her any in her desire to be understand by her partner.

Callie's eyes were barely open and completely unfocused. She looked, to Arizona, to be having a difficult time in maintaining her hold on her consciousness.

Rushing to the front of Callie's bed, the blonde leaned over the rail and proceeded to place several soft, light kisses on any part of Callie's face she could reach.

"Thank you...thank you. Oh, God. Callie...I'm so happy to see you. Thank you...oh, god...thank you, baby..."

Arizona's tears were rushing down her face and, as she remained bent over Callie's bed, she felt herself succumb to her joyous, ragged, thankful, and tiresome emotions. Her crying sounded rough in her ears, but she didn't care. The part of her that was a doctor was demanding that she check Callie's vitals and perform an AVPU examination to gauge her partner's level of consciousness. She knew the other woman was, most likely, in for a long and hard road toward recovery.

At her given moment, the blonde could only concern herself with one thing. Callie, her friend, her lover, her wife, was awake. Everything else jumped out the nearest window or took a back seat to that wondrous fact. Callie was awake.

Pulling back, Arizona called for a nurse quickly before looking back down at Callie. The Latina's eyes were still barely open, but the blonde could tell that her attention was focused on her. The ortho surgeon scrunched her eyes, suddenly, and a look of panic marred her features. A hand, the same one Arizona had been holding earlier, jerked in a violent spasm.

"No...no, baby. It's okay. It's okay. Look at me. Listen to me, baby. It's just a breathing tube, Calliope. I know it's uncomfortable, but it's helping you to breathe. Just focus on me."

Callie continued to jerk, uncontrollably and tears pricked the corners of her dark eyes. Her gaze became lost for a moment before she heard the familiar and welcome sound of Arizona's voice. The blonde headed woman gently took her chin in her hand and turned her head to face her.

"That's it, gorgeous. I'm here. Look at me and just breathe, sweetheart. Just breathe."

Callie's body seemed to calm somewhat. Her eyes never left Arizona's except for when she appeared to slip back into unconsciousness.

A nurse rushed into the room and gave Arizona a questioning look. "Is everything okay? We noticed her heart rate change on the monitors."

Turning to look over her shoulder, Arizona noticed, not only the nurse, but her parents as well as Callie's, standing in the, now open, door way.

Smiling past her tears, she said simply. "Page Dr. Shepard. She's awake."


	23. Chapter 22

**-10 months ago-**

Callie Torres stood in her room with her hand braced against the back of the door. Her sister, Aria, who had arrived just that morning, was standing behind her with a knowing smile on her face. Like Callie, Aria was tall with a head full of lush dark hair. Her eyes were a lighter shade of brown, but she shared the same full lips and radiating smile as her sister.

"Callie, you don't want to be late for your own wedding." Aria said in a sarcastic tone.

Callie looked over her shoulder and smirked at her sister. She knew the younger woman was right. Her guests, her friends and family, were waiting for her downstairs. Arizona was waiting for her. She'd dreamed of this day for as long as she could remember. Her crap-shoot wedding to George at the Church of Elvis had been a joke. She and her ex husband had barely known one another and she'd missed not being able to experience the joy of her family on that day.

Today, however, was different. Today, she was marrying Arizona Robbins. True, it wasn't a real wedding. The closest she and Arizona could come was to file for domestic partnership, which they had done. Domestic partnership entitled both of them hospital visitation and inheritance rights but little that the law would, most likely, be against them should circumstances arise, Callie and Arizona had also made the other their power of attorney. They'd both ensured that their affairs would allow full power to the other should such a time ever come about. Arizona had opted to have a public notary sign and review both of their documents to increase the chances of their wishes being held out.

Both women had gone to great legal heights to ensure that nothing could "slip between the cracks." Law and order was a slippery slope and, often times, one could punch a whole in any document or verbal wish if they tried hard enough. Callie knew that their arrangement, by no means, granted them the powers and privileges a normal heterosexual marriage would, but she was complacent in the strides they had taken and procured.

Today, she and Arizona would declare their love and their intentions to one another before their family and friends. The knowledge of where she was in her life startled and elated her.

"I know, Aria. I'm just nervous."

Aria pursed her lips and walked towards her sister. Grabbing the other woman's shoulders, she turned her around and gave her a quizzical look.

"I know, Callie. I'd be nervous, too, if I was wearing white on my wedding day even though everyone present knew I wasn't a virgin."

The comment, so dead-pan in it's deliverance, caused Callie to burst into laughter. She felt her anxiety start to fade away the longer she laughed over her sister's words.

"You know, I can't stand you, Aria...but I'm glad you're here."

The younger Torres cocked her head to the side and grinned genuinely. Patting the sides of Callie's upper arms, she replied "Me, too,_ loca_. Me, too."

* * *

Arizona stood near the kitchen table and looked out over her backyard. Around her, the sounds of her guests laughing and talking made real for her what was taking place today.

She was marrying Calliope.

Thinking the words did little to lower their emotional impact. She was overjoyed. She was over the moon. She was nervous and excited and apprehensive and happy and everything in between.

A hand on her shoulder caught her attention and she looked up to meet the blue-gray eyes of her father.

"You look beautiful, Arizona." he said in his customarily calm voice. His lips parted into a small smile and his hand tightened on Arizona's shoulder.

"Thank-you, Daddy." she said, smiling back at him.

"You know, when you first told me you were a lesbian, I thought it was just a phase you were going through."

Arizona stepped back to look at him and her brow lowered slightly. Daniel continued to speak before she could come up with anything to fill their sudden silence.

"I thought it was your way of 'bucking the system.' Maybe you were tired of the military life. The rules. The standards." Daniel shook his head and took a deep breath. "After a while, I realized that you weren't acting out, Arizona. You were still the person I raised you to be. You were strong. Dependable. You continued to push yourself and be a positive influence on those around you."

Arizona felt the tell-tale sting of tears as she listened to her father. It wasn't often that Daniel Robbins spoke so openly or so candidly.

"The only thing I worried about was you finding someone who was worthy of you. I worried that you would become too involved in your duty to your country. When you and Terri started dating, that fear diminished. You were happy with her, Arizona. I was happy for you. When you told your mother and I that you were pregnant," Daniel stopped and looked up to meet her eyes. He took another deep breath and smiled sadly. "Well, let's just say I never expected to hear those words from you."

Arizona was unsure of where her father was going with his out of character speech. He had not spoken of Terri or Hannah in several long years. She knew he had taken Hannah's death badly. Being one not to show his pain, her father had buried himself in his job after the death of her daughter and her brother. She realized that he had started speaking again and quickly shook her head in an effort to clear away her stuffy thoughts.

"I worried about you. Then, one day, you called me and told me you were dating someone new. You sounded so much like you used to. I worried, even then, that you were pushing yourself too hard. That you were trying too hard to be happy. I didn't want you getting hurt. I guess what I'm trying to say, Arizona, is that I didn't need to worry. You knew what you were doing. You found someone honorable and worthy of you. Callie is crazy about you. After everything you've lost, everything you've been through, you're still able to stand here, today, and pledge your life to another person."

The blonde swallowed a cry that threatened to leave her throat. Blinking rapidly, she hoped the gesture would clear the tears that were forming in her eyes. Her father wiped at her face and smiled down at her.

"You're strong, Arizona. You deserve all the happiness in the world. I don't need to worry about you anymore. Not after today. Just promise me that you'll stand by her. No matter what."

Arizona knew what her father was hinting at. Though he had understood her pain over losing Hannah, he had not been able to justify her actions when she'd left Terri and moved across the country. Daniel was a family man and was a firm believer in seeing things through and honoring one's commitments. He'd not been able to condone how she had handled and, thus, ended her relationship of seven years.

Looking her father directly in the eyes, she nodded and said, "I promise, Dad. Nothing could take me away from her. _Ever_."

* * *

Callie took the last step on the staircase and found herself surrounded by several of her friends in the foyer.

"Cal! Wow, you look amazing. Has Blondie seen you yet?"

Mark Sloan's voice caught her attention and she turned towards it only to meet his smiling face. The plastic surgeon was resplendent in his two piece dress suit and tie. He'd shaven his beard and mustache for the occasion and his lack of facial hair only enhanced his open smile.

Callie hugged him and smiled herself. "No, she hasn't and I haven't seen her. How does she look?"

Mark's smile turned into a crude grin. Taking a sip of his wine, he looked around before answering.

"Let's she just say she's lucky she's a lesbian."

Callie laughed at him and turned towards the small step that would lead her into the living room. Miranda Bailey saw her and waved as she entered the room. She noticed Lexie and Meredith in a corner talking. They both acknowledged her with a nod of their heads. Her father and Deidre were both standing in the dining room discussing who knew what. She smiled, fully, when her father met her gaze.

"_Mija_, you're stunning." Carlos said before pulling her into a fierce hug.

Deidre placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled herself. "Callie, you continue to astound me with your beauty. My daughter is a very lucky woman."

Callie opened her mouth to thank Deirdre for the compliment when a voice to her left interrupted her.

"Yes, I am."

Turning around, the Latina's mouth fell open when she saw her partner standing in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen. Arizona looked miraculous in her classic style ivory dress with a sweetheart neckline. The material of the dress was fluted duchess faced silk with an Alencon lace bodice and a satin ribbon and jeweled floral detail at the waist. Callie noticed her partner was wearing Mastoloni pearl earrings and they seemed to enhance the soft skin on display.

The blonde's hair had been curled, more than usual, and was up in a high bun on her head. Ringlets fell on either side of her face and seemed only to entice Callie all the more.

Swallowing past her, suddenly, dry throat, Callie took a step towards the other woman. She noticed that the voices and conversations around her had stopped. Everyone within eyeshot of she and Arizona was holding their breath as they watched the two of them.

"Arizona...you look..." Callie couldn't finish her sentence. She felt like a love struck teenager out on their first date. Her eyes drank in the sight of the blonde woman in front of her.

Deciding to save her lover from her inability to form words, Arizona reached out for her and pulled the two of them into closer proximity. Leaning her head against Callie's, she smiled and inhaled the scent of her perfume.

"So do you, baby." she whispered and the two of them laughed softly against each other.

Callie's dress was, equally, alluring. Beading and lace, complete with a v-neck and two separate layers set off the modern style gown. Charmeuse satin and white-lace overlay sculpted the neckline and was accentuated with Swarsviski crystals. Matching earrings, briolette drop, with a coordinating fresh water pearl and gemstone necklace left Arizona with only one place to focus her attention.

Callie's chest.

The Latina's dark, thick mane was partially pulled away from her face and was secured with a ribbon that seemed to be a part of her hair. Light waves of ebony tresses fell down her back and contrasted, beautifully, with the color of her dress.

Arizona found that she was completely engrossed with the woman in her arms. The only thing that existed for her was Callie. Her scent, her skin, the feel of her body, the way she looked. A light sensation on her hips informed her of where Callie had chosen to rest her hands. She turned her head and allowed her nose to brush across her partner's.

"No kissing or making out until after the wedding."

Laughter broke out around the two women and they both looked up to see Cristina Yang leaning against the table in the dining room. Breaking apart and putting distance between each other, Callie and Arizona both joined their friends and family in their jovial pursuit.

"Wanna get married so we can make out?" the blonde asked her partner in playful tones.

* * *

The reception got underway shortly after everyone gathered in the kitchen and family room. Arizona had asked that her father preside over their wedding since an actual official would have required them all being at the courthouse. Seeing as they had already filed for domestic partnership, both women had wanted to do something special for themselves and their friends and family, hence their "wedding".

Daniel had agreed, wholeheartedly.

As she listened to her father talk about the institution of marriage, of honoring and devoting oneself to another, Arizona couldn't help but smile. Callie was staring at her, her gaze unflinching. The two of them held hands and continually grinned at each other. After a time, she lost the focus her attention had on her father's words and the only thing she could hold onto was Callie.

She was vaguely aware of the occasional person shifting in their sit or clearing their throat, but overall, her state of focus narrowed down to such a fine point that only she and Calliope seemed to exist. The taller woman's perfume was causing her senses to go into overload.

"Both Callie and Arizona have prepared their own vows."

At the mention of her name, Arizona gave a quick glance in her father's direction before turning back to Callie.

The taller woman smiled, brightly, and squeezed her hands. Sighing, deeply, she opened her mouth and began to speak.

"Arizona, you mean more to me than I could ever express. You're my friend, my best friend. You're my strength and my home. When I look at you," Callie paused and let her eyes travel over the blonde's face, "I believe anything is possible. You're my hero, Arizona. I want to be just like you."

Callie's voice became soft and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"You amaze me. Everyday. Two years ago, you followed me into the bathroom at Joe's bar. You, this blonde, blue-eyed dream with the sexiest smile and heart stopping dimples."

Arizona squeezed the hands in her own and smiled. Her dimples flashed as if they were giving weight to Callie's words.

"You, Arizona Robbins-peds surgery, came to me when I was at my lowest. You kissed me. You saved me. I didn't believe anyone would ever love me the way I knew I was capable of loving them. Then, there you were. Perfect, perfect you. You pursued me. Chased me. You let me be afraid. You showed me how to live. With you, I grew. I matured. I became me."

Callie paused, again, when she felt her emotions trying to get the best of her. Closing her eyes, she took another breath. She felt Arizona remove her hands from her own and travel to her face where they cupped her cheeks. The comforting and familiar warmth that spread throughout her body forced her to reopen her eyes. Arizona's steady blue gaze helped to ground and calm her so she could continue.

"Everyday I spend with you is like a breath of fresh air. I cherish it. You make me smile. You make me laugh and dream. I love you." Callie said softly before smiling and reaching up to gently wrap her fingers around her partner's wrists. "Everything about you. I promise to always love you. I promise to protect you and care for you. I'll always listen to you and support you. I promise to honor and respect you for as long as you'll allow me. On this day, I offer you-" Callie stopped and shook her head, "I _give_ you everything that I am. My heart, my body, my faith, my love, my soul. They're yours, Arizona"

Arizona smiled and a small laugh escaped her. Rubbing her thumbs across the tanned skin beneath her fingertips, she attempted to stop herself from kissing her partner prematurely. Callie matched her smile and proceeded to finish her vows.

"I'm yours. I promise you all of this today. Today, we become one."

Murmurs of approval went up around them, broken only by the wayward sniffle or poorly veiled cough to hide a bout of tears. Arizona couldn't describe the feelings washing across her body. She'd never felt so free and liberated her whole life. Even though she and Callie had long since devoted themselves to each other, the added presence of their friends and family, somehow, only further solidified matters for her.

Leaning her forehead, once again, against Callie's, she sniffed back her tears and whispered softly, "_I want to kiss you."_

She heard Callie's full laugh followed by a whistle from, whom she assumed to be, Mark. Her father, having heard the comment, said, in a louder voice, "You'll have to wait to do that. She's waiting to hear your vows."

Everyone present nodded, laughed, or clapped. The mood was happy and full of mirth. Stepping back to look into Callie's, impossibly, dark eyes, Arizona straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She reached for her partner's hands and smiled shyly.

"Calliope," she started. "I love saying your name."

As before, laughter arose around her. Callie smirked, her full lips only further distracting her. Deciding to start again, she took a steadying breath and locked eyes with her partner.

"Calliope, you are amazing. I'm awed by you more everyday. You challenge me to be a better person. A better Arizona Robbins for you. You push me when I'm too afraid to jump and then you're there to catch me before I hit bottom. I know I'm safe with you. I know I'm protected and respected. I love you, so much, Calliope Torres. If love had a face, she'd look like you."

Collective gasps and 'awws' sounded at her words and she noticed Callie's face tighten as she tried to hold back, rather unsuccessfully, her tears.

"Your compassion, your empathy, drew me to you in the first place. Now, those same things continue to be a source of inspiration to me. I can't believe that I'm the one you've chosen to spend your live with. You could have anyone."

Callie stepped closer to her and brought their joined hands to he chest.

"Above everything else, I'm_ thankful_ for you, Calliope. You're my saving grace. Today, we're getting married." A small, unbelieving laugh left her lips. "Today, before our friends and family, I vow to always be here for you. I vow to love, honor, and _completely_ adore you."

Callie laughed, happily, and trailed the fingers of her right hand up Arizona's left arm. Grasping the other woman's elbow, she let her hand come to rest.

"Should illness visit you in this life, you have my promise that I'll never leave your side. I'll be your friend, your partner, until the day I die. I love you. Today, I vow that you will always hold my heart. Today, I become responsible for your happiness and health."

Bringing her right hand up, she gently laid it against Callie's neck and smiled when she felt the steady beat of her pulse. "I can't wait, Calliope."

Like so many other times that day, both women found themselves smiling and laughing through their tears of joy. Daniel smiled and turned toward a small table to his left. On top of the table, two ring boxes sat side by side. Callie and Arizona had decided to forgo the traditional need for a maid-of-honor and a best man. Their wedding was something for the two of them and they had both wanted it to reflect how they felt. A best man and a maid-of-honor had been too 'marriage is a between a man and a woman' for Arizona. Though Callie had wanted her father to walk her down the aisle and give her away, she had decided, in the end, that keeping things less ceremonial and more celebratory was for the best.

Besides, all she truly wanted was to pledge her life and love and devotion to Arizona before her friends and family. That made things more official than a piece of paper stating that the two of them were 'domestic partners' ever could. They were more than partners, domestic or otherwise. They were friends, lovers, equals, soulmates and much more.

Picking up the box closest to him, Daniel opened it and gently removed a beautiful white gold band with sapphires and diamonds adorning it's circumference. The stunning band was 18k gold and seemed to harness the light around them, glowing with splendor.

"Callie and Arizona wish to convey their commitment to one another through the exchange of Eternity rings." Daniel said, his powerful voice holding everyone in attendance attention.

Passing the ring to Callie, he smiled at her before, "Calliope Iphigenia Torres, do you take Arizona Renee Robbins to be your partner for eternity?"

Callie smiled, her tears blurring her vision, and nodded her head. "I do."

Arizona's lips couldn't stop their happiness from spreading across her face. She felt her hand tremble in Callie's when the other woman placed the ring at the tip of her ring finger.

"I, Calliope Iphigenia Torres, take you, Arizona Renee Robbins, to be my partner for eternity, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

Sliding the ring, fully, onto Arizona's finger, Callie tenderly ran her own fingers across the glimmering metal and looked back up to meet her eyes. The Eternity ring rested above the blonde's simple silver engagement band and the Latina's heart constricted in the knowledge of what they both symbolized.

Daniel nodded his head in approval and pride and, once again, turned to the table on his left. Picking up the last remaining box, he removed another ring and brought his attention to his daughter. Arizona accepted the Gala diamond ring, also set in 18k white gold, from her father's hand and looked back to her partner.

"Arizona Renee Robbins, do you take Calliope Iphigenia Torres to be your partner for eternity?"

Her father's question held a completely obvious answer. Of course she took the woman before her to be her partner, her lover for all of eternity. She knew, without a doubt, that she would always love Callie. There was nothing in the world that she desired more than to just be in her presence.

Callie squeezed her hand and released a heavy breath. Meeting her brown eyes, laced with so much love for her, Arizona placed the ring in her hand at the top of Callie's ring finger and nodded her head, enthusiastically.

"I do. I _really, really_ do."

A small laugh bubbled up from Callie's throat but she quickly fell silent when she noticed the blonde open her mouth to speak.

"I, Arizona Renee Robbins, take you, Calliope Iphigenia Torres, to be my partner for eternity, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

The ring, sparkling with multiple diamonds, came to rest above Callie's engagement band, just as Arizona's. Stepping closer together, both of them smiled and fought to keep their eyes on the other. Daniel started speaking again and they both knew that their reception was nearly at it's conclusion.

"With the power vested in me, by my daughter for the occasion, I now pronounce you partners for eternity." Smirking at the blonde next to him, he said, "You can kiss her now."

Arizona needed no further prodding. Callie squealed and the two of them closed the last remaining distance separating them. They were both, vaguely, aware of cheers and applause sounding around them as their friends celebrated in their union. Neither of them paid it much notice. When their lips met, they both felt the other smile into the kiss and it caused their hearts to beat in unison. Callie gripped the back of Arizona's head and opened her mouth to deepen the contact between them. Hearing the blonde's surprised yelp only caused her smile to become greater.

She felt her wife, her partner for eternity, grasp either side of her neck and begin to knead her skin. Finally pulling away to breathe, she softly kissed Arizona's cheeks and brow before resting her head against the smaller woman's.

"I love you." she whispered. Her tears were falling freely and she was able to hear, more clearly, the sounds of applause, whistles, cheers, and well wishes going out to both of them.

Arizona kissed her nose and laughed with unabated joy. "I love you, too."

They both hugged one another and let their emotions and tears pour over them and through them. They were married. They were eternal partners in life. Their coworkers, friends, and family had all been present to bear witness to their union, their love, and the sanctity of their relationship. After two years of ups and downs, good times and dark moments, hiding secrets and learning secrets, Callie and Arizona, two completely different women, had finally come to where they were always meant to be.

Together. Joined as one. Committed.

The next half of their life had just begun.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

** A/N: **Just a brief mention of some of the places, sites, etc that I used. Seasoned in Seattle is an actual establishment I used for authenticity purposes. Their website, as well as the menu that I used, is as follows. .com/ Though I've posted a disclaimer, I say again here that I'm using them in a fictional context. I think it's obvious that I'm receiving no money for this story. Their food looked and sounded amazing so I used them. Also, the song used this chapter, though stated in the story, is "Dream" by Alice Smith from the album "For Lovers, Dreamers, and Me". I'm using this chapter as the set up for the last major arc of this story-baby Daniella! Also, I noticed last chapter that I posted the time of their wedding as 11 months ago. I've since changed that to 10. That was an error on my part. Hope everyone enjoys. I promise, this is the last LONG note!

**-10 months ago-**

Callie picked up a piece of shrimp from the platter in front of her and turned to her partner. Arizona smiled at her before taking the proffered bite. She and Callie had looked into catering, like she had suggested, and finally decided on 'Seasoned in Seattle', a local catering service that was very well established in the area. The two of them had both looked over the menu assiduously and ended up picking the Caribbean BBQ special. The full menu included Island Margarita shrimp, Meatballs Sweet and Sour, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Jambalaya, Steamed Basmati Rice, Viva Limona Salad and Grilled Jerk Chicken. Also included was a fruit display, which had gone over exceedingly well.

Callie's parents had insisted that they pay for the catering as a small gift to the two of them and Callie had gladly accepted. She watched as people moved around the kitchen filling their plates and talking amongst themselves. Their dining room, as well as their kitchen and family room, was well occupied with their many guests. Owen, Cristina, Derek, and Meredith all sat at the kitchen table and laughed together as Derek regaled them with a story from his early med school days. At the counter next to the table, Amalia and Deidre directed several people to the various dishes and moved in sync around each other. Callie saw her father, alone, standing on the deck outside and wondered why he had chosen to isolate himself.

Deciding not to allow her father's need for solitude to put a damper on her mood, she turned back to Arizona and smiled wickedly at her.

"What's that look for? That's not a good look..." the blonde said, cautiously.

"I promised you something last month. Do you remember?"

Arizona cocked her head to the side and let her gaze become unfocused as she tried to remember any such promise. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she scrunched her brow and inhaled deeply. Callie smiled at the display.

"I promised you that I would sing for you when you least expected it." she said, prompting a wide-eyed look from the other woman.

"You were serious?"

Nodding, Callie replied, "Oh yeah, I was serious."

The taller woman grabbed her glass of wine, sitting next to the shrimp platter, and a fork and proceeded to tap the utensil against the fluted glass to gather everyone's attention.

"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?"

When silence met her request, she smiled shyly and looked around the room.

"We all know I hate public speeches, so I'll keep this short."

A quiet, collective, laughter rolled across the room and gave her a small bit of strength to continue. Looking back at Arizona, briefly, she took a breath and turned her attention back on her guests.

"I've prepared a little something to commemorate today. Most of you, with the exception of my parents, will be shocked to learn that I'm actually a pretty decent singer."

She laughed nervously when she caught a few raised eyebrows from several of her co-workers. Arizona placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and the simple touch was immediately calming.

"Last month, I promised Arizona that I would sing for her when she least expected it. Today, I'm fulling that promise. Mama?"

Amalia walked around the counter in the kitchen and made her way past Callie and Arizona and to the entertainment system behind them. Pulling out an unmarked c.d, she loaded it into the cd player and turned to face her daughter.

Callie stepped away from Arizona and walked to the center of the family room. She could feel several pairs of anxious eyes drilling holes in her back. When she came to stand next to her mother, the older woman nodded her head.

"The song I've chosen to sing today is one I know Arizona adores. It speaks volumes about our relationship." Meeting the blonde's piercing gaze, she continued, "You didn't like Missy Elliot so I chose to sing 'Dream' by Alice Smith."

Amalia hit 'play' on the stereo and the sound of an upbeat piano filled the room. Callie closed her eyes and opened her mouth to sing the words she knew were true in her heart.

_When I wake up in the morning time_

_I like to see you sleeping by my side_

_I think about the nights we had before_

_Wanna give you this and more_

_Let you know I truly adore you_

Arizona's mouth fell open upon first hearing Callie's voice. It was stronger than Alice Smith's softer tones, but that wasn't what caught her attention. Callie wasn't an 'okay' singer. She wasn't someone you'd hear singing in their car and think they didn't completely butcher said song. Callie's voice was full and rich, just like Arizona knew it to be, but the dark skinned woman could actually carry a melody and a tune.

_Being with you, loving you this way is so sweet_

_The way you kiss me, you're making my knees go weak_

_We could be forever happy, through rain or whatever_

_Never gonna take the fantasy away from you_

Callie opened her eyes and, briefly, took note of the stunned expressions watching her. Quickly, she sought out Arizona's blue eyes and, smiling, continued to sing.

_I need to be everything you see in your dreams_

_It seems to me you'll never find another lover good as I, to give you all that you need_

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day, day, day, day_

Arizona listened to her lover's sultry voice as it lowered to accommodate the more jazzy twang of the song. She couldn't stop the full, nearly blinding, smile that continued to shine on her face. Upon seeing the look, Callie turned around to face her and moved to the next part of the song.

_There was a time that I didn't have you around_

_Back in them days my heart never made a sound_

_Now it's beating like my head's in the clouds_

_Never doubt that I'ma always be down to hang around you_

Feeling the words, as well as singing them, Callie made sure she kept her eye contact locked with Arizona's. The words to the verse she was currently singing held a great deal of value to her. As she sang about her heart beating, she closed her hands over the left side of her chest before, holding her them out towards Arizona; as if to tell her that her heart only beat for her.

_You're making me feel so good inside_

_The way I feel when you love me makes me wanna cry_

_All these truffle of the things you do, make my love dream come true_

_Moving me to tell you that I love you_

The strength of Callie voice became more prominent the longer she sang. Amalia held her hands over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. Callie had always sang, for as long as she could remember. She and Carlos, loving music themselves, had immediately placed their daughter in classes to hone her vocal skills. They, as well as Callie, had thought to have an alto singer in the family. It wasn't until Callie's first recital, that they discovered the young girl's massive and, nearly, debilitating stage and performance fright.

That had been the end of their 'little singer'. Callie had chosen a career in medicine and that had been the end of things.

Or so Amalia had thought. Though Callie was, noticeably, nervous, she was still able to sing without that showing through.

_I need to be everything you see in your dreams_

_It seems to me you'll never find another lover good as I, to give you all that you need_

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day. day, day, day oh!_

As Callie's voice faded, the music picked up. Trumpets, saxophone and piano filled the silence the lack of her voice created. Keeping her eyes on Arizona, the Latina hummed melodically before continuing, once more.

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the..._

The music picked up it's tempo and the length of the notes Callie was singing became more powerful and pronounced. It was obvious, at least to Arizona, that her partner was going for a big finish.

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the..._

The trumpet rang out loudly to accentuate Callie's tone.

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the..._

The build up in the room, among the observers as well as in the music, was palpable.

_And I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the..._

Callie's voice belted out on the last word and she closed her eyes as she lost herself to the song.

_I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day_

Arizona could do little else but stand and watch and listen in awe. Where before, she'd thought Callie's voice was strong, now, towards the end of the song, she truly became aware of the other woman's vocal range.

_I'll be there to love you each and every night and all through the day! Day!_

The last line of the song was sung with such passion and force that everyone present was stunned into silence. Callie threw her head back and let the last word ring beautifully from her lips. She heard the piano finishing and ending the ride she'd been on with it.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her guests clapping and staring at her with a new respect. Arizona walked over to her, eyes still wide, and kissed her soundly on the mouth. The sound of applause around them grew as they continued to kiss one another. Arizona pulled away and placed her hands on Callie's shoulders, her smile happy and pure.

Shaking he head, she stared at her partner completely awed by her performance.

"You're even more amazing than I thought." she said loud enough for their guests to hear her.

Callie smiled and ducked her head. Cutting her eyes around the room, she noticed her friends and family appeared very much as her partner did. They, too, looked on with wonder and appreciation for her vocal abilities. Perhaps, she thought, there was something to be said for certain public exhibitions.

* * *

Callie placed her right hand over Arizona's right hand and grasped the handle of the knife the other woman held. Smiling, the two of them cut into the bottom layer of the marble style cake. Raspberry jam filling could be seen as the knife continued it's descent and the thick butter-cream frosting enticed them both. Cutting themselves two small pieces, they each took one and turned to the other.

Arizona wrapped her right hand and arm around Callie's and presented the cake to her lover's lips. Callie met her eyes, never blinking, and took a bite of the rich dessert. Licking the filling and cream from her lips, she nodded her head in satisfaction before offering the slice of cake in her hand to the blonde. Arizona, likewise, maintained eye contact with the taller woman and let her mouth close over the sweet, decadent treat. Closing her eyes, she hummed in pleasure as the full flavor collided in her mouth and attacked her taste buds.

Callie laughed and, in the next breath, her lips were lightly kissing and teasing her partner's. They each laughed and tasted their wedding cake on the others lips as, around them, their guests applauded once again.

"This tastes even better on you." the Latina whispered, her mouth close to Arizona's ear.

A noticeable blush appeared across the blonde's fair skin and she looked around the room quickly before granting Callie her full attention again.

"Everything taste better on me." Leaning closer, she added in a lower voice, "_You _taste better on me, too."

A throat being cleared behind her forced Callie to turn around before things continued any farther. Her father watched the two of them and a small smile appeared on his worn features.

"_Mija_, everything's been wonderful. I'm happy for you. Your mother's happy. We're both proud."

Callie nodded and wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist.

"Thank-you, Daddy. You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that."

Carlos swallowed and his eyes sought out his new daughter-in-law's. "Arizona, could I have a moment alone with you?"

Looking nervous, the blonde smiled weakly and stepped away from Callie's embrace. She threw a confused look over her shoulder and proceeded to follow Carlos to the sliding doors that would lead them onto the deck in the backyard.

* * *

Mr. Torres walked along the edge of the deck and rolled his empty wine glass between his fingers. He let his eyes travel across the wooded area behind his daughter's house. Trees of varying sizes, shapes and shades of green dotted the landscape. He could just barely make out the next house over, but the amount of privacy afforded to both parties was propitious.

Arizona watched Carlos pace. She was unsure why he wished to speak privately with her and his silence, now that the two of them were alone, left her feeling even more on edge. The wind from the early January weather nipped at her bare shoulders and sent shivers down her spine. Exhaling at the icy touch, she barely contained a laugh when she noticed her breath form a wispy cloud in front of her.

"You love my daughter?" Carlos asked suddenly, causing Arizona to jump at the sound of his voice against the howl of winter's chill.

Not sparing a moment to wonder at the nature of the question, Arizona quickly replied, "Yes, very much."

"You protect the things you love, correct?"

"Yes"

Carlos turned around to make eye contact with her. "She's my daughter. I've always been here to catch her when she fell. Calliope's always lived on the edge. She's always straddled the lines."

Arizona said nothing. Wrapping her arms around herself, she attempted to stave off the numbing feeling in her fingertips.

"She's no longer on the edge. She hasn't been on that ledge since she met you. She jumped, headfirst, and you caught her." Carlos continued.

"Yes, I did."

Carlos nodded and returned to observing the landscape around him, seemingly oblivious to the obvious discomfort, both emotionally and physically, of the blonde woman behind him.

"You'll always love her?"

"Yes"

"As much as you do today?"

"No."

Mr. Torres whirled around quickly and eyed her with a hot temperament. Smirking, Arizona exhaled again and hugged herself more tightly. Looking around at the gray sky against the horizon, she watched as the sun fought a losing battle with the heavy blanket of cloud cover. She felt Carlos' gaze upon her and she finally returned it before elaborating on her statement.

"I'll not love her as much as I do today because tomorrow, I'll love her more than I do today. The day after that, I'll love her twice as much as I did the previous day and so forth. My feelings for your daughter will change, Mr. Torres, but they will never deteriorate or lessen or fade in any way. I've been with her for two years and, in that time, she's continued to surprise and amaze me. I love her more now, after hearing her sing to me, than I did an hour ago when we exchanged vows. Calliope inspires me. She completes me. If you're worried about her getting hurt, that's fine. It's understandable. She's your daughter. I understand that."

Carlos snorted at her last comment. To Arizona's knowledge, Callie had not spoken to her parents about Hannah. The older man's reaction to her words was verification enough for that truth. Deciding against going down that particular conversational path, Arizona chose to ignore Carlos' gesture.

"You can worry about her. You can still be around to catch her when she needs you. I'll tell you this today and then I don't want to have to say it again: I love your daughter and I protect the things I love. I'll always be here to catch her. In the instance that I'm not around, for whatever reason, then I'm happy knowing that you'll be here for her. Today, Calliope became my wife. My partner. Today, we became greater, together, than we were separately. The only thing I want is her continued happiness and her good health. Those things are my responsibility now. You're welcome to help ensure I accomplish those things."

Shaking, again, against the harsh, cutting, blast of air, Arizona placed her hands over her mouth and blew into them in hopes of restoring some amount of feeling.

"Now, I'm freezing out here. If you want to continue with the threatening 'daddy speech', let's do it inside."

Smiling to soften the blow of her words, the small woman turned around and quickly disappeared into the warmth of her home. Carlos stared for long moments at the spot she had, not long ago, occupied. He quietly reflected on her words and found that he was unsure of how he felt about them. One thing was for certain-Arizona Robbins knew how to play hardball. She maintained respect and decorum, but she was also not afraid to stand her ground and express her views.

Carlos found that refreshing but, at the same time, very intimidating. Though, he'd never admit such a thing to anyone. Sighing and looking, once more, around the backyard, he turned on his heel and walked across the deck.

* * *

"Hey, what did my dad want?" Callie asked when she noticed a shaking Arizona enter the kitchen and make her way towards her.

When her partner got closer, Callie realized she was trembling and she quickly wrapped her arms around her. Rubbing Arizona's skin softly, she attempted to warm her up.

"You're freezing, _Mariposa_."

Arizona leaned into Callie's warm and inviting body and rested her cheek against her heart. Hearing the gentle beat made her smile.

"Your father just wanted to extend his well wishes." the blonde lied.

Callie stopped her ministrations. She knew her partner was avoiding a larger issue, but she was also aware that their current setting wasn't exactly conducive to bringing that issue to light. She decided to visit the matter again at a later time.

Kissing the top of Arizona's head, she pulled her closer and inhaled the scent that was, uniquely, her lover's. She noticed her father re-enter the house and he caught her eye rather quickly. Upon seeing the two women in so loving an embrace, Carlos smiled at his daughter and moved around the table to find his wife. Callie watched him disappear into the dining room.

Pushing gently against Arizona's shoulders, she waited for the other woman to look up into her face. When blue eyes met her gaze, she bit her lip and wrinkled her nose.

"The sooner we kick everyone out, the sooner we can consummate this marriage."

* * *

An hour later found the Torres-Robbins' house less crowded than before. Several of Callie and Arizona's co-workers had been paged to the E.R and had since left. At first, Arizona had felt compelled to go to the hospital with them. She had an ardent duty to her job and had been torn on whether or not she should go or remain behind. Owen had promised to page both she and Callie if things became too extreme.

Shifting, uncomfortably, in her dress, Arizona yawned and looked around the room. The remaining guests, which consisted of Carlos, Amalia, Aria, Deidre, and Daniel, all sat around the living room talking amongst themselves.

Callie sat next to Arizona on the couch with and arm around her shoulders. Her fingers traced, absentmindedly, along the soft skin of the blonde's upper arm.

"Well, it's getting late. I know the newlyweds would appreciate our vacating the premises so they can see to the...last minute 'details' of their wedding."

Arizona turned her gaze to her mother's and tried not to laugh at the other woman's words. Sometimes, she wondered if her mother chose her words deliberately to garner a response from Carlos. Judging by the way the man was shifting in his seat and looking anywhere but in their direction, it was obvious to Arizona that her mother had gotten her favored reaction.

The older Robbins woman smiled a tight smile at her daughter and the corners of her eyes wrinkled. Patting her hands on Daniel's legs, she stood quickly and looked down at her husband. Daniel took the hint and stood himself. Around them, they noticed Callie's family doing the same. Amalia smiled at everyone, her daughter's smile so much like her own, and moved around the room wishing everyone a good night. Despite having lived in the United States for most of her life, Amalia still spoke with a very pronounced accent. As Arizona listened to her speaking to Deidre, she couldn't help herself from wondering if Callie had ever spoken with such an accent on her words.

The sounds of everyone saying their goodbyes seemed to fade into the farthest reaches of her mind. She was vaguely aware of Callie standing and pulling her up, but her mind was traveling along a path she couldn't seem to shake. Aria was speaking to Callie, but their conversation was in Spanish so Arizona quickly allowed it to fade along with everything else.

Her mind had become stuck on accents and mixed heritages. She found herself wondering what her children with Calliope would look like. What would they sound like? Would Callie wish to teach their child her first language? Would they chose a white sperm donor so that their child would appear as a mix between the two of them? If they had a girl, how much like Callie would she look like? Would she have her eyes? Her dark, intense, eyes? Would she possess the same full lips and high cheekbones?

Allowing her train of thought to jump off the tracks a bit, she imagined a beautiful girl with Callie's striking features talking to the Latina in perfect Spanish before turning her attention to her and, just as effortlessly, speaking in accent free English.

For the first time since Hannah's passing, Arizona felt within herself, a strong desire to have another child. She wished to share the experience with Callie. She wanted to be present when Callie had her check-ups. She wanted to feel the joy when the two of them saw their child for the first time on the ultra-sound. More than anything, Arizona found herself looking ahead to the day Callie was in the delivery room and both of them were anxiously awaiting their child's entrance in to the world.

"Arizona, you're more wonderful than Calliope made you out to be. You take care of her, okay? We'll visit when we can."

Amalia's voice changed the course her little train of thought had been on and she blinked a few times in an effort to fully clear the visions in her head. Final hugs were passed around and the phrases "Safe trip" and "Take care" were in plentiful supply. Before she was fully aware, the house was empty and she was alone with Callie.

Callie.

The savior of her life. She noticed the other woman smiling at her and she blushed. Here she had been living in her mind with visions of their future children and she and Callie hadn't even made love as a married couple yet.

Walking over to her partner, she grasped her hand and gently tugged her towards the stairs in the foyer.

Priorities, she thought.

Priorities.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

**A/N: **I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter posted. I started it several times several different ways. My muse and I disagreed A LOT before finally deciding, and agreeing, on this angle. It may not be what some people were hoping for, but I'm hoping it will still be enjoyed all the same. Also, don't let the last line of this chapter upset you too much. Callie still has a few things to figure out but she IS coming around. That's all. Enjoy!

**-10 months ago-**

Callie opened her eyes slowly and inhaled a steady, deep breath. Her body ached and her muscles protested at her desire to move them. Rolling her head over to her left, she was immediately greeted by the golden sight of blonde hair. Arizona was facing away from her with her back taking in the warm glow of the sun through the curtains of their room.

Smiling to herself, Callie used her left hand to push away at the thin sheet covering her partner. The material slid down her back and afforded the Latina an undisturbed view of Arizona's flawlessly smooth skin. Unable to stop herself, she trailed the back of her knuckles over the other woman's shoulder and down to the dip of her spine.

Arizona stretched, slightly, at the contact but remained in a deep sleep. Callie rolled over and propped herself up on her left elbow, resting her head in her hand, and used the fingers of her other hand to continue tracing a slow path down her lover's back. She watched as her tan fingers moved down each ridge of Arizona's spinal cord and couldn't stop the loving smile that adorned her face.

She was married.

Arizona-wonderful, sweet, perfect, Arizona Robbins was hers forever. For eternity.

She could barely believe how lucky she was. From this day forth, she had the honor of waking up to the woman next to her. She got to love her. She got to rejoice in her body and make her laugh and see her super magic smile. They were married and Callie couldn't have been more fulfilled.

Shoving the sheet, which had settled around Arizona's hips, down farther, Callie allowed her finger tips to smooth across the base of her partner's back. She loved touching her. Having slept with men for most of her life, Callie had been humbled and awed at the softness and smoothness of a woman's skin. Being a woman herself, she should have known but the information, though evident, had still amazed her.

Erica had been soft, but nothing close to Arizona. Callie remembered the way her hands had trembled the first time she and the blonde had been together. Arizona's delicate features had intrigued her, yet also made her more cautious in her movements. She was larger than Arizona. Erica and she had been similar in height and build, but Arizona was petite. She was shorter than Callie and more slight of frame.

The first time she and Arizona had made love, Callie had known that she would forever feel protective about the other woman. It had nothing to do with her feeling as if Arizona were weak or unable to handle things herself, but more to do with the simple fact that, as she'd surmised, Arizona was smaller than she. She naturally felt compelled to protect her and be gentle with her. That wasn't to say that she didn't thoroughly enjoy ravishing the blonde headed woman. Thought slim, Callie knew well how Arizona could take control of their love making and assert her own dominance.

At first, Callie had been slightly hesitant to "get wild", as Cristina called it, with Arizona. Doing so with men had always been something she enjoyed and was able to do easily. With Arizona, it had come as something she had to ease herself into. Callie knew how vocal and all in she could become during the throes of passion. Knowing she was bigger than her sexual partner, as well as being aware of how small her lover was, had been issues the two of them had had to overcome during their early sexual encounters.

Arizona had laughed at her, she remembered. Despite being touched at Callie's protectiveness, the blonde had quickly informed her that she was far from fragile. After a time, both women had learned the others bodies and become adept students on their path to mutual sexual discovery and enjoyment.

Laughing to herself at the memories running through her mind, Callie moved her fingers over the swell of her partner's hip and dipped them into the curve of her stomach. A momentary twitch from Arizona caught her eye but she continued. She watched the other woman bring her right leg up against her chest and proceed to remain in her heavy slumber.

Confidence welled up in her chest at the knowledge of why her lover was so tired and worn. The previous night, she and Arizona had made love for the first time as a married couple. What had started off as tender and soft and loving had quickly turned to heated cries, rough, lingering touches, and strangled moans of unadulterated pleasure. Arizona and she had made love several times during the course of the night, both stopping only long enough to reflect and enjoy their afterglow, before satisfying their hunger again and attacking the others body.

Exhaustion and fatigue had finally demanded that the two of them discontinue their lovemaking and sleep had settled over them at some undetermined time later. Callie could still feel her muscles remonstrating at her late night activities but their ache also carried with them a warm glow of immense satisfaction.

Scooting closer to her lover, Callie pressed her chest against her back before placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. Her fingers opened wide and she spread them across the blonde's stomach. The only reaction her movements garnered was Arizona pushing back against her and snuggling into her more fully. Letting her forehead settle on the blonde's shoulder, Callie moved her hand farther down her stomach and smiled.

Slipping her fingers between Arizona's thighs, she was greeted with a lazy heat. Immediately, she moved her fingers down lower and found the blonde's clit. Stroking slowly, but deliberately, she set about the task of 'waking' the organ up. A moan, numbed by sleep, escaped Arizona's lips and she lowered her right leg, while at the time same, pushing back against Callie.

Callie ran her nose up along her partner's shoulder and peered over it to allow herself to see the reaction she was causing. Arizona's brow was slightly scrunched and her left hand, arm still partially hidden under her pillow, was grasping at the sheets. Her lips were parted and, occasionally, a gasp would leave them.

"Wake up beautiful." Callie whispered into her wife's ear. Licking along the outside of it, she continued moving her fingers between Arizona's legs.

Moisture was staring to meet her movements and it's slippery heat only added to the hazy pleasure she was sure she was evoking. Dipping her fingers lower still, Callie let them gather some of the wetness Arizona had produced. A sharp inhale and a jerk accompanied her decision and she allowed them to spur her on.

Finding the blonde's clit, once again, she rubbed her fingers, wet with Arizona's pleasure, across it roughly and was rewarded when she finally managed to coax the sensitive nub, fully, from under its hood.

"Wake up, baby. You're really hot when you're wet, you know that?"

Callie watched as Arizona fought in a place between the world of waking and the world of slumber. Incoherent words and whispers left her mouth but they were drowned by the sounds of her moans and gasps. Biting down on Arizona's neck, Callie nipped at her skin and moved her fingers with more focus.

The combination of the two caused Arizona's eyes to open suddenly and a strangled gasp fled from her heavily, she attempted to look over her shoulder.

"Callio-"

Her words were cut short as her brain fully processed what was happening between her legs. She could feel her own heat building steadily within her and the wetness Callie was moving through was evidence enough of her enjoyment.

"Morning, baby." Callie said huskily before kissing the side of her face and jaw.

Fingers continued to stroke and rub her overly sensitive flesh and she gave up on the idea of talking, instead choosing to bring her right hand up to tangle, as best as she could, in Callie's hair. Moving her hips in rhythm with her partner's touches, Arizona gave herself over to her passion and closed her eyes.

Deep moans left her the longer she and Callie moved. She was surprised her body could still react to sexual stimulation, given the overload she'd granted it the night before.

Callie was pressed, fully, against her back and she could feel her nipples when they moved. Their hard tightness alerted her to her partner's obvious arousal. Were they not enough, the wetness occasionally meeting her backside, would have informed her of such.

The beginnings of her orgasm snuck up on her and she was unprepared for the shock waves that exploded throughout her frame. Callie stopped rubbing her clit and quickly shoved two fingers inside of her, wanting to feel the orgasm as it accosted her body. Using her thumb, the Latina coaxed every ounce of pleasure from her partner's clit that it had to offer. She could feel the blonde's thighs shaking around her hand and hear the guttural cry of pleasure that was ripped from her throat. Licking the expanse of neck that was exposed to her, Callie held onto Arizona as the other woman came down from her high.

Once the last wave of pleasure had gone from her body, Callie turned her touches from ones meant to induce excitement to those used to comfort and soothe. Arizona went limp in her arms and fell back against her, completely sated.

Arizona moved her right hand from the Latina's hair and trailed it down her body, finally meeting the fingers still trapped between her legs. Callie flicked her thumb over her clit and the motion caused the blonde's internal walls to clinch around her fingers. Sighing in satisfaction, Arizona lifted her leg and allowed her partner to remove herself from inside her.

"Are you going to wake me up like this every morning?" she asked in a slurred tone of speech.

Callie kissed her shoulder again and smiled against her skin. "If I'm lucky." she replied.

Smiling and laughing softly, Arizona ran her fingers over the back of Callie's hand, which had come to settle against her stomach.

"We're married." she whispered.

The Latina pushed herself against the blonde's back and let her cheek rest against her shoulder. Nodding in agreement, she tightened the hold her arm had on her partner and replied, "Mmmhmm, we're married."

**-Present Day-**

"Callie? Dr. Torres, can you hear me?"

Derek's voice was calm, like it normally was, but it was met with silence from the one he'd directed it towards. Walking around to stand next to Arizona, the dark haired man read Callie's vitals and leaned forward to look into her face.

Callie made no indication that she noticed the movement. Her eyes remained focused on Arizona, as they had since she'd first awakened. Derek pulled one of her eyelids back and shined a pen light in her pupil. Noticing its reaction, he nodded to himself and stepped back.

Around him, Arizona, her parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Torres all waited with bated breath. Arizona, with her arms wrapped around herself, fidgeted behind him but remained quiet.

"Hmm." Derek hummed.

Ignoring the sharp and deeply swallowed breaths from the room's other occupants, Derek walked backwards, away from Callie, and paid close attention as to whether or not she followed him with her eyes. Like he had surmised, Callie appeared to have not noticed his movement. Her attention, her focus, stayed on Arizona.

"Dr. Robbins?" he asked suddenly.

Arizona tore her gaze from her partner's and looked over her shoulder at Derek.

"Come stand by me." the neuro surgeon instructed.

Frowning. but willing to do whatever was required, Arizona slowly walked towards her fellow attending and came to stand next to him. When she turned around and lifted her head to look back at Callie, she was startled to find that her lover had followed her and was still staring at her.

"Fascinating." Dr. Shepard intoned to himself.

Carlos stepped into the room and walked towards his daughter's bedside. Hoping to garner a reaction from her, he said, _"Mija?"_

Arizona watched him, arms still wrapped across her body, as he came to stop just shy of her bed. Callie ignored his call and continued staring at her. Triumph warred with pity inside her body at the display. Looking past Carlos, she noticed her own father standing tall in the doorway of Callie's room. The man caught her eyes and nodded once.

"Okay, I'm going to need everyone to clear out." Derek ordered after a moment.

"I'm her father. I have a right to be here." Carlos said quickly.

Derek sighed and looked around the room. Every face he found was the same.

Sad. Fearful. Worried. Hopeful. Torn. Confused.

He knew his latest patient was greatly loved, admired, and adored. Not just by those present, but by most of the hospital staff. Callie had completed her residency at Seattle Grace. She'd married, gotten divorced, slept with inappropriate people, spoken the vagina monologues, become an attending, found true love, and gotten married a second time. She wasn't just Carlos' daughter. She was Arizona's partner. She was Daniella's mother. She was a friend and colleague to him and everyone else in the hospital.

Derek knew everyone was worried, but he also knew that too many people being around when a comatose patient was regaining awareness, did more harm than good.

Meeting Carlos' heated glare, he said "I'm aware of who you are, sir. I can appreciate your concerns. Right now, Callie is awake but she is only responding, visually, to Arizona. I'm going to have to run some more tests, but right now, the best thing you can do for her is grant her some space and some time. She needs to process everything."

Carlos opened his mouth to speak but Amalia interrupted him.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Deidre placed an arm around the older Latina's shoulder and looked Derek in the face. She, too, wanted to know the answer to Amalia's question.

Placing his pen light into the top pocket of his lab coat, Derek sighed and replied, "I'm not sure yet. I thought, at first, that she may have been suffering from Apallic syndrome, but she is responsive to Dr. Robbins. I'll know more after I run some tests. She may slip in and out of consciousness for the next few days, but I'm hoping she'll slowly regain all functionality."

With that, Derek smiled at Arizona, patted her arm in a comforting gesture, and walked around her. Passing his chart to a nurse standing outside the room, he corralled both sets of worried parents and left Arizona alone with her partner.

The blonde stared at the door for a moment before looking back at Callie. Dark, brown, eyes were still focused on her. Arizona swallowed past the lump that had been forming in her throat and walked to the head of Callie's bed.

"Calliope? Can you hear me, baby? You know I'm here, right?"

Callie's eyes widened upon hearing her name fall from Arizona's lips. Blinking rapidly, she continued to stare at her. The sounds of her breathing were accentuated due, in part, to the tube down her throat. Arizona smiled and placed a hand on top of hers.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here."

* * *

Callie kept her eyes locked with the blue ones before her. Arizona's features were slightly blurred and her speech was muffled, but her eyes were strikingly clear and vivid. She was unsure of where she was or what was happening. Commands she tried to give her body seemed to become lost along their travels. She was stuck, without the ability to shake herself free. A force seemed to pull at the corners of her mind and its heavy presence appeared inviting to her.

A prevarication she knew for sure.

The only thing that kept her from following the warm, comforting, vociferated tug begging for her heed was Arizona. Who she was looking at had to be Arizona. Her face was hard to make out and her voice sounded different in her ears but, Callie knew, she'd recognize those blue eyes anywhere.

The shape, Arizona she presumed, was speaking to her again. The blue eyes she was so mesmerized with came closer to her and she widened her own to take in the definitions of the face above her.

_"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here."_

Callie tired to respond. The words were clear to her and easily understood. The melodic quality of the voice which had spoken them was weight to her assumptions as to whom she was looking.

Arizona. It _was_ Arizona.

A hand on her own sent a shocking reverberation through her body. It left a warm, tingling, impression on her skin and caused her breathing to become more apparent. Unable to command a reaction from her body to the touch, Callie glanced down at the hand on top of hers before quickly looking back up at her partner.

She hoped the gesture would be enough to inform the other woman of her acknowledgment. She was here. Where had she been prior? Why could she not do more to let Arizona know of her plight? Questions, accompanied by torn and blurred images, sped through her mind at a dizzying rate. The effects of everything she was enduring were too much for her and she felt her eyes closing against her will.

Blue eyes appeared sorrowed and a sound came from somewhere far away, but Callie was too overcome to put up any resistance.

Darkness overtook her view of blue and she knew no more.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

**A/N**: This is a pretty short chapter, but like several others in this story, it acts as a filler and a staging point for larger themes later on. I tried to work this bit in with the last chapter and then again with the chapter I'm working on next. I couldn't seem to get the pace and flow of the piece to come together and so I decided to post it as a stand alone chapter. 

_Darkness._

_Shadow._

_A weight._

_Haze._

_"CC, whose room is this?"_

_Voices._

_Whispers in the night._

_Words, without form._

_"This is Daniella's room. Her nursery."_

_Movement._

_Sounds, unknown._

_"This is your hope?"_

_Questions, forged in rhyme._

_Bathed in uncertainty._

_"Callie, what is hope the opposite of?"_

_Answers, so close._

_Shrouded in confusion._

_"Fear, Hannah. Hope is the opposite of fear."_

_Two children._

_Both innocent._

_Forever marking two sides of the same coin._

_For what beauty could be borne on the back of such sorrow?_

**-Present Day-**

"She's gorgeous. I mean, most babies are cute, but she is perfect."

Teddy Altman smiled as she leaned down and looked into Daniella's eyes. Nurses went about their daily tasks around her, giving no pause to her words. Since the birth of her best friend's daughter, Teddy had been unable to find any large amounts of spare time to check in on her. Surgeries, interns, residents, and the normal goings-on of the hospital's day to day life had kept her from being as involved as she would have liked.

Over the past week, the slender woman had checked in on Arizona as often as she could. She'd ensured that her best friend ate regularly and that she always had a fresh supply of clean clothes. Apart from those duties, Teddy had had very little interaction with Arizona, let alone Daniella.

Mark nodded his head from the opposite side of the bassinet and said, in his usual dry tone, "Yeah, I gotta give it to Robbins. She makes pretty babies."

The words, meant to lighten the mood, caused Teddy's stomach to sink. She was still trying to process the revelation Mark had dropped in her lap the day Daniella had been born.

Arizona had lost a child. A little girl. How had Mark known and she had not? Why had Arizona not confided in her? Did their friendship hold so little weight in the other woman's life? Teddy had wanted to question Arizona about the issue, but with Callie's condition, she had decided to hold matters a while longer.

Standing back up and looking across at Mark, Teddy bit back a laugh and replied, "Yeah, she does. Daniella is beautiful. Makes me want a baby."

Mark raised his eyebrow at her and grinned devilishly.

"Wanna go to an on-call room and do the nasty?"

Scrunching her face into a look of disgust, Teddy held back the urge to slap the man and instead said, "You're disgusting, Mark. The world could do with less men like you. Let's not allow your genes into the general population."

Glancing back at the tiny infant below her, she softened her features and ran her hand gently across a small chest. "Learn to ignore, Mark. In fact, take after your mothers and just ignore men all together."

Before another word could be spoken by either doctor, Deidre appeared at the window outside of the room and caught their attention. Teddy noticed Arizona's mother appeared less worn than the last time she'd seen her. Walking to the door and exiting into the hallway, she smiled at the older woman and asked, "Everything okay, Mrs. Robbins?"

Deidre smiled, the gesture drawing attention to the worry lines around her eyes. Reaching for Teddy's arm, she opened her mouth and spoke in a raspy, though overjoyed, whisper.

"She's awake. Callie's awake."

* * *

After Callie had slipped back into unconsciousness, Arizona's body, tired, stressed, and overloaded, had finally given out on her and she'd fallen into the chair that had kept her at Callie's bedside for so long. Sleep had attempted to calm and soothe her worried and frantic mind and dreams of a happier time visited her upone the shores of her slumber. Derek had come back in to check on Callie and found the two of them silent and lost to their own mind's visions. Performing a quick examination on his patient, Derek had been pleased to note that Callie responded to painful stimulus. The tiny prick he'd applied under her nail had been met with a jerk of her hand and a twitch of her eyes-both good signs.

Not long after he'd left, Teddy and Mark entered the room. Deidre had wanted to follow them, but she knew Derek had ordered everyone, doctors excluded, to give Callie space and time. She'd opted to stay with Daniella, a decision she was happy to live with.

"She must have lost consciousness again." Teddy said as she entered the room.

Arizona was slumped in her chair, chin resting on her chest. She made no indication that she was aware of anyone else being present in the room with her. Her right hand was stretched towards Callie's bed and was propped at an uncomfortable angle under the guard rail. Teddy's heart fluttered when she realized that her friend had been attempting to maintain contact with her partner.

Mark walked past her and headed straight for Arizona.

"Mark! Don't wake her up! She's barely been sleeping as it is."

The tall, broad shouldered man paid no attention to her words. Bending down in front of Arizona, he effortlessly picked her up from the chair and turned back towards Teddy. The hazel eyed surgeon gawked at him and looked confused.

"She's not gonna wake up. Just help me here so I can get her next to Callie. That chair's not her friend and she'll thank me later." Mark said, earnestly.

Arizona's head fell against his chest and shoulder and her blonde hair spread out across his white lab coat.

Understanding dawned on Teddy's face and she couldn't help but smile. Just a short time ago, she'd been telling Mark he was disgusting and now the very same man was warming her heart with his thoughtful ways.

She hated him sometimes.

It took but a moment to ensure that Arizona's body was placed next to Callie's in a way that would do neither of them any harm. Mark walked around the bed to Callie's side while Teddy sat herself down in the chair Arizona had been sleeping in.

No words were spoken. Two sets of friends, four individual people, allowed silence and reflection to grace their minds and settle over them. Mark reached for Callie's right hand and grasped it lightly. He felt his chest constrict but refrained from allowing any other signs of his emotions from making themselves visible. Teddy ran her fingers through Arizona's hair and tried to imagine what the woman's lost child must have looked like. She recalled past conversations and interactions and attempted to make a connection, any connection, with the information she now possessed.

Begrudging herself, folly as it was, for not connecting the dots where Arizona's past were concerned, Teddy swallowed her self loathing and blinked at the tears forming in her eyes. She hoped, prayed, with everything that was positive in the world that Callie would make a full recovery. She couldn't imagine Arizona without Callie. Teddy had watched them grow together. She'd seen them fight and argue, joke and jest, love and marry. They had a child together now.

A child Callie had yet to even meet.

As she stared at the back of her best friend's head, Teddy found herself pleading with every known god in the universe for her friend's returned happiness. Arizona needed Callie. Callie needed Arizona.

Daniella needed them both.

Things had to work out. They had to.

The alternative was too unimaginable to fathom.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

**-10 months ago-**

Callie lifted a shirt off of a nearby rack and held it closely to her body. Glancing down at the garment, she raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"They want fifty bucks for this?"

It had been two weeks since she and Arizona had 'tied the knot' and officially become a married couple. Their honeymoon had been cut short when the realities of their life had come knocking at their door. The sick, injured, diseased, and ailing stopped for no one and rarely took the time to observe such simple things as an emotional communion between two women.

Callie and Arizona had fallen back into an easy coexistence in the few short weeks following their marriage. Their schedules had conflicted and both women had been unable to spend as much time together as they would have liked. Standing in Hollister & Co., Arizona smiled as she watched her partner. The two women, chance allowing them both a day off together, had decided to spend it at Northgate Mall. After an hour of window shopping and browsing, Arizona had slipped into her favorite store in the hopes of expanding her wardrobe.

"Callie, we're shopping for me, remember? Rave is your store. Besides, fifty bucks is nothing if I look awesome in it."

Putting the blouse back on the circular rack she'd taken it from, Callie smirked and darted her eyes away from the blonde's. She let her fingers toy with a few other shirts in front of her.

"If I'm ripping your clothes off later, fifty bucks might seem like a lot." she said under her breath.

Arizona, by now used to Callie's crude comments, only laughed and shook her head. Grabbing her partner's hand and stopping her frivolous motions, she tugged her body towards her own and was gratified when she felt her warmth.

"So, you wanna just shop at Wal-Mart so we don't have to worry about wasting money?"

Callie turned around, fully, and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's shoulders. She knew people were, most likely, watching them with interest but she didn't care. Pulling on her best offended face, she pursed her lips and raised her brows.

"Wal-Mart? _Please_. No wife of mine is going to parade around in five and six dollar baby tees. Nu-uh. No way."

Biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, Arizona nodded her head in faux thought and looked back at her partner.

"So, I can buy the fifty dollar shirt?"

Callie lost her control then and her laughter came out as something between a snicker and a snort. Her smile, perfect to Arizona, brightened her face and touched her eyes.

"Yeah, babe. You can buy the fifty dollar shirt and anything else you want. Let's just never mention the Wal-Mart clothing section again."

The two women fell into an easy fit of giggles and spent the next forty minutes shopping for clothes that were, most definitely, not to be found inside a Wal-Mart. After exiting the store, Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and they both started off towards their next destination. Conversation came easily and was kept light and humorous. When _'Mama'_ by The Spice Girls started playing, Arizona stopped and reached for her phone.

_"Mariposa_, you've got to change that ring tone." Callie implored.

The blonde waved her off and quickly answered her phone. The busy sounds of the mall kept her from hearing her mother as well as she would have liked. Turning back to Callie, she motioned with her head that she was going to take the call to a quieter area. The Latina smiled and nodded and watched her lover disappear in the crowd.

Shaking her head at the absurd cuteness of Arizona's ring tone, she turned around and looked at the store the two of them had come to a stop in front of.

Babies R Us.

* * *

When Arizona finally managed to get her mother off the phone, in the end having to fake an emergency at the hospital, she returned to the general area she'd left Callie. Looking around and trying to pick out her partner's wavy, jet black hair, she finally spotted her inside a store a short distance from where she currently stood.

Not paying attention, at first, to the type of store her lover was in, Arizona started walking towards the other woman but stopped when she saw Callie speaking with someone.

The Latina's back was to her when Arizona got close enough to hear the first bits of conversation.

"The first few months are the worst. I barely slept. My husband and I tried to take shifts but it still took a lot out of us."

"I can imagine." Callie replied.

"It's worth it though. When Liz would fall asleep in my arms, my lack of sleep didn't seem so important. Now, here I am again expecting my second and I'm actually looking forward to it."

Arizona watched her partner nod her head and continue speaking with the woman in front of her.

"Well, I wish you all the best. You and your husband."

"Thank you. Is this your first child? You don't appear to be showing yet-"

Callie shook her head and held up a hand to stop the woman from going any farther.

"Oh, no, no. I'm not pregnant. I was just waiting for my partner and decided to take a look around."

The mystery woman widened her eyes and a horrified look overcame her face. Laughing, she brought a hand to her mouth and said, "Oh! I didn't mean to imply anything. I just assumed-"

"It's fine, really. We've spoken about having children, but it just hasn't happened yet."

Nodding her head, the woman smiled and spoke up again. "Well, you're beautiful and your children would be, too. Give it time. It'll happen."

Arizona watched the young lady Callie had been speaking with walk away and join, whom she assumed to be, her husband. Standing behind another moment to study her partner, Arizona finally made her presence known and walked to Callie's side.

"Hey!" she said brightly.

Callie jumped, not expecting to hear her, and turned to face her. A smile joined her when her eyes landed on blue.

"Hey. Everything okay?"

Arizona nodded her head and explained to her lover that her mother had only been calling to check on 'the newly weds.' Glancing down, she noticed Callie was holding something. When the Latina followed her eyes, she laughed nervously and looked back up to explain.

"I was just looking around. Aren't these the cutest things? It's hard to believe any of us ever had feet this small." she said, holding the pair of baby socks up to make her point more valid.

Arizona's eyes sparkled as she listened to Callie. It was obvious to her that, even after so many months, the other woman was still uneasy about the baby issue. Since she'd told Callie that the two of them would have children, neither one of them had actually sat down to talk to the other about when that day might actually come around. Standing next to her partner, surrounded by cribs, toys, clothes, bottles, bibs, diapers and a slew of other items, Arizona couldn't help but feel like the time for them to have a baby was nigh.

Callie glowed when she talked about babies. Her face lit up in a way that only ever happened when she was around children or spoke of them. Seeing her holding a tiny pair of baby socks, the blonde was overcome with how beautiful and happy she looked.

She wanted Callie to always look that way. She wanted to be the reason she did.

"You have to see the onesies. Oh, and the teeny little shoes." she said suddenly, putting a stop to her lover's nervous rambling.

Grabbing her hand, she pulled Callie further into the store. Neither one of them brought up the fact that they were browsing through a baby department store. Callie never questioned Arizona's enthusiasm and Arizona never brought to light her understanding of that bewilderment. The two women laughed and swooned as they looked at tiny shoes and socks, car seats, strollers, toy chests, diapers, diaper bags, bouncers, baby blankets, body suits, onesies, gowns, booties, mittens, hats and several other items.

Callie tried to keep her vivacity to a minimum, but she couldn't seem to contain the overjoyed smile that kept tugging at her lips. Arizona pulled her from one spot in the store to another and showed her different baby related items. At times, she would recall a specific event regarding Hannah and her dimpled smile would overtake her features.

Unbeknown to either woman, the next chapter of their life had just begun to be read to both of them. A happenstance, fortuitous perhaps, had allowed for the seed of change and growth to be planted in their life.

* * *

That night, as Arizona lay in bed waiting for Callie to emerge from the bathroom, she allowed her mind to drift over the day's events. A want, a need, had been steadily building in her mind since she and Callie had browsed through the entirety of Babies R Us. That feeling had been present far longer than she cared to contemplate. It continued to beg for her attention. The more she thought about matters, the more she came to realize one simple fact: Her need and want was fast becoming a desire.

The rational part of her told her she was crazy. It informed her that she was moving too quickly, trying to do too much. That side of her fought with the dreamer in her. Callie had helped to bring out that side of her; bring it out and nurture it. Her dreamer side whispered beautiful tidings in her ear. It spoke of joy and life and deeper connections. It reminder her that she was safe with Callie and that nothing could go wrong so long as the two of them remained together.

Rational thought demanded that she take things at a slower pace and become accustomed to things gradually. It asked that she not be so impulsive. She of dreams, of things most secretly coveted, simply stated that life was short. It advised her to reach for what she most wanted. Her dreamer side told her to have the life she knew she desired. A life that, not only consisted of Calliope, but also held in its future a child born and conceived, if only in thought, by both of them.

A door opened to her left and she turned her head to greet her partner's emergence from the bathroom. Sitting back on her pillows, she smiled at Callie as the other woman walked towards their bed.

"Come here." she said in a soft voice.

Callie's brow twitched but she, nevertheless, complied. Once at Arizona's side, she straddled her hips and settled herself across her lap. The blonde's hands moved languidly along the tops of her thighs and her eyes followed their movement.

"You wanting me to be a top tonight?" Callie asked playfully.

Arizona's small laugh was her only reaction. Callie watched her and felt the mood change within the room. Blue eyes continued to be transfixed by the movements of pale hands. A furrow started to form between those eyes and silence added to the changing atmosphere.

Placing her hands over Arizona's, Callie attempted to get her attention. It was obvious something was weighing on her partner's beautiful mind. Callie had a hunch that whatever it was had to do with their earlier shopping trip. She berated herself for getting caught up in her fantasies. She knew she should have never entered Babies R Us. Arizona was still processing so much. She should have been aware of that.

Yet, Arizona had been the one who had pulled them farther into the store. She had been the one who appeared happy and excited as they both explored and browsed. Callie hadn't forced her. In fact, if she was honest with the situation, she would have to say that Arizona almost seemed as happy as she did to be in the store.

"You're so beautiful."

Callie raised her eyes and looked at her lover. The blonde's words had jarred her from her inner thoughts. Letting her fingers run lightly over Arizona's forearms, she smiled and replied, "So are you."

Silence.

"Callie?"

"Hmm?"

Arizona swallowed and tried to order her thoughts. She knew that what she was about to say was going to be met with a strong flux of emotions. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she was moving too fast. Maybe she was high on life and love and Callie.

Whatever the case, she knew that she truly felt the words she was about to speak. Stopping her fingers lazy motions, she looked into her partner's eyes and held her gaze for a moment longer than was necessary.

"Let's have a baby."

Callie's face fell, but her lips tried to betray her and form a smile. She felt her breath leave her body more quickly than she'd anticipated.

"What?"

Arizona sat up and wrapped her arms around Callie's waist to support the position. Leaning forward to kiss her chin, she continued.

"I want us to have a baby. If I could get you pregnant myself, I would."

Callie pulled back so she could look into her lover's face.

"Arizona...baby, is this because of the store?"

The blonde sighed and shook her head. Keeping her right hand secured around Callie''s hip, she used her left to tuck a strand a black hair around a tanned ear.

"No, it's not. Today just sort of acted as a...catalyst. Callie, you have no idea how your face lit up when you were in that store. You never stopped smiling. I want to give you that. I want you to be happy."

Callie could do nothing but stare at the other woman. She wanted to let her euphoric feelings known, but the nagging fear that Arizona would change her mind wouldn't allow her to.

_"Mariposa_, you need to think about this. I'm happy with you. We're happy together."

"But you're not complete, Calliope. You want a family. You always have. When I married you, I promised to make you happy."

Callie shook her head.

"Don't do this for me, Arizona. I want you to want this, too. We have to both want it."

Arizona sighed, again, and smiled at Callie. Kissing her lips softly, she let them linger for a time.

"I want this, Calliope. I want this with you."

Callie brought her hands to Arizona's face and looked into her eyes. She tried to believe the veracity of the blonde's words. The face staring back at her carried nothing of deceit with it. Truth, powerful truth, met her own eyes and she felt her bottom lip start to tremble.

"Yeah?"

Arizona nodded her head and smiled.

"Yeah." she whispered before kissing her "Let's have a baby."


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

**-Present Day-**

When Arizona awoke, she was startled, momentarily, to find that she was in bed with Calliope. Easing away, as best she could considering the confines of the arrangement, she looked around for any signs of life in the room. All was quiet. Checking her watch, she noted the hour was late. Her parents, as well as Callie's, had most likely gone to their hotels.

The steady beep monitoring Callie's heart rate drew her attention and she glanced down at her partner. The tube in her throat still caused a tight feeling to swell in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to remind herself of its necessity. Eyes moved behind closed lids and alerted Arizona to the fact that Callie was dreaming. She wondered what specters performed on the stage of her lover's thoughts. What visions held her captive in the land of trance and illusion?

Leaning forward, she tenderly kissed Callie's forehead and brought her left hand up to land on her stomach.

"I love you." she whispered across her brow. "I'm so sorry for everything."

Callie's brow twitched, but her eyes remained hidden by her closed lids. Arizona's face grew somber and she moved her fingers idly along her partner's mid-section.

"We moved too fast. I shouldn't have rushed things, Calliope. I just wanted you to be happy. Now, you're in the hospital because of me."

Her voice caught in her throat and she stopped her finger's enervated movements. Looking, again, at Callie's face, she scoffed at herself and continued.

"You wouldn't be here if I hadn't talked you into having a baby. But, Callie, when I look at her, I can't feel anything but joy and wonder. She's beyond beautiful. I can't wait to see your face when you meet her."

The door behind her opened and she looked over her shoulder. A nurse entered the room and smiled sheepishly when she noticed Arizona was awake.

"Dr. Robbins. I was just coming to wake you up. I need to check on Dr. Torres."

Arizona nodded her compliance and carefully removed herself from Callie's bed. Rubbing her arms to restore circulation, she sniffed back a yawn and let the nurse go about her tasks.

"How is she?"

The nurse, Sheela, checked Callie's vitals and ensured that her heart rate and breathing were regular. Jotting down her findings into a chart, she took a moment to reply to Arizona's question.

"She's stable. Dr. Shepard thinks she'll make a full recovery, but he wants to wait until she's regained full awareness before saying anything definite.. Callie reacted to pain so-"

Arizona jerked her head towards the nurse and pinned her with her eyes.

"Pain?"

Sheela quickly brought her up to speed on the test Derek had performed while she had been asleep. Noticing the alarming look starting to fade, she smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging gesture.

"All signs are good at this point, Dr. Robbins. We just need to give her some time."

Arizona felt the adrenaline that had pumped into her veins start to ebb away. Weariness crept into her bones and a week's worth of emotions threatened to release themselves from her body. Sitting down in the chair next to Callie's bed, she rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Dr. Robbins?"

Arizona looked up at Sheela.

"Did you want me to bring Daniella to you? It's almost time for her to be fed again. She's been a little fussy while you slept."

Happiness battled the bone tired heartache that was setting up camp inside the blonde. It was minute at first, having to clear away the deadened dread that had settled around her, but rather quickly, happiness and hope succeeded in bathing her in their warm light.

Daniella. Perfect, sweet, innocent Daniella. She was the only person who held any small amount of power when it came to tilting the balance between her sorrow and her faith. With Callie sleeping, still fighting her own battles, Arizona knew she needed her daughter more than ever.

"I'd like that. Maybe her being here will encourage Callie to wake up again."

* * *

Alarm. It brought about action. It spurred the advancement of human limitations.

Fear. It triggered the fight or flight response. From it, the same limitations that were reached by alarm were exceeded and expanded upon.

Despair. Brought to life by alarm and fear, it gave raise to mankind's greatest trials and tribulations. At the end of it's road was a fork.

One had only to chose despondency or hope.

_"It's not a bad place, CC. It's just not a place for you. Mommy already cried for me when I went there. I don't want her crying for you. You have to stay here and I'm just ke-"_

_"Keeping me company. I know. You've said that. You always say that. What does that even mean, Hannah?_

_"You know what it means, Callie."_

When one finds themselves alone on a long forgotten road in the dead of night, a path on the left and an equal one on the right, what then does one do when they can not distinguish one over the other?

_"Hannah?" she asked slowly._

_Weary blue eyes opened and found her questioning gaze. Callie swallowed her nerves and licked her lips before asking the question that had come to life in her mind._

_"How long have you been keeping me company, baby?"_

_Smiling, truly, Hannah took a few deep breaths before answering her. She placed a small hand on top of the one Callie had on her chest and said, "Since you found out about me."_

Fear was irrational. It fought against logic and, more times than not, won by preying upon the insecurities of it's host.

Hope was reliance. It was faith, naked and bare, yet pure of credence. Hope could sustain an individual.

When fear, specious and captious, collided with hope, full of paradise and fortune, a battle of prodigious and epic proportions was sure to be fought in the confines of a mind weak from a body's struggles.

_"No! Take me back to them!"_

The road worn and well traveled was, by many, the best road to take. It was easier, without the fear of the unknown being at it's end. So, too, was fear like that road.

_"I can't, CC."_

_"You said that before, but you let me see them." Callie countered._

_The small child shook her head. "No, not me. You did, CC. You're very stubborn. Like mommy."_

Fear, it's road easier and full of light, was deceiving. On it's trail, rocks and stones hid in the grass, waiting for one to stumble across them.

_"You have the power to go see Mommy, CC. To be with her. It's not me. I'm keeping you from going to the other place until you get better. That's all."_

_"But, the hotel, your room-?" Callie started to ask but Hannah finished for her._

_"That was you. I've just been here, keeping you company. You're the tourist and the guide."_

The road less traveled, it's end shrouded in mystery, was the way of hope. One, less often, chose to take it's course on account of the hardship that awaited. The path would be less noticeable, it's way darker due to overgrowth.

Hope, less believed than fear, represented the second path of the two forks brought about at the end of despair's road. One could have faith that the road less traveled, harder no doubt, would bring them to utopia or they could follow fear and allow it to dictate their journey in life.

Fear. Hope.

_Hannah. Daniella._


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28:**

**-9 months ago-**

"What'cha watching?"

Callie looked over her shoulder as the voice drifted to her ears. Sitting in the living room on the bottom floor of their home, she was the picture of laid back comfort. The cool February weather fogging up the window next to her left her feeling cozy and warm. Her large black cotton sweats and her oversized purple hoodie only helped in aiding that feeling.

"_Mystery Diagnosis_. It was that or _Bridezillas_ and I really didn't want to watch a bunch of divas act like bitches to get their way. It's a disgrace to women everywhere."

Arizona chuckled and walked down the few steps leading into the living room. Callie scooted over on the sofa to make room for her and patted the cushion.

"Come cuddle with me before I have to go to the hospital." she said.

Arizona quickly plopped down next to her partner and laid her head against her shoulder. Callie wrapped her arms around her and turned her head to breathe in the clean scent of shampoo and body wash.

"I don't like you working the night shift without me. It makes it hard to sleep at night." Arizona complained.

Callie tightened her arm's hold and sighed. "I know, baby. It's just this week's rotation."

"It still sucks. Doesn't the hospital know we have a life to lead?"

"And shopping to do?"

"Yeah, and sex to have."

Callie snorted and a hearty laugh bellowed from within her. Arizona smiled against her chest and trailed the fingers of her left hand between the valley of her breasts. The simple touch caused Callie's heart to flutter. Arizona continued listing the many things their job was interfering with and saved her from her budding arousal.

"We wanted to go to one of those 'Savor Seattle Food Tours' and you wanted to go to the Aquarium and we've talked about that science fiction museum over on sixth avenue."

Callie groaned and muted the television. It was rare that Arizona Robbins acted in so petulant a manner. Rare, yet, cute.

"I know, _mariposa_. I know. It's the price we pay for being such renowned surgeons. This night shift won't last but another couple of days. We'll have plenty of time to do all those things you mentioned and more."

Arizona pulled back from her and smoothed her blonde hair away from her face. Shaking her head, she looked down at her lap and bit her lip.

"No, we won't. We have doctors to see and planning to do and shopping. I mean, we haven't even begun to look at sperm donors yet and-"

Callie stopped her with a finger to her lips. Arizona was so cute when she was pouting. It was a side of her only she was trusted with and she adored the blonde all the more for it. Smiling, she dipped her finger to Arizona's chin and forced her to meet her eyes.

"What's the rush?" she asked softly.

"I-the-there's no rush. I just-I don't want to wait. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I'm not equipped with the necessary parts to get things going myself. We could be trying to conceive for a while, Callie. It's rare for these types of conceptions to stick on the first go. Besides, things are good now. We can do this."

At her own words, Arizona was momentarily taken aback. They rang potently of a time long ago. She remembered Terri, years before in another life, speaking words nearly identical to her. At that time, she had been the one who was meant to carry; Terri the one who had convinced her of the rewards.

Rewarding it had been, that much she could never deny. It was the length of that reward that left her with an ache that would never release her from it's painful prison. Perhaps, having a child with Callie would fill the hole Hannah's death had left in her life? She knew no one could ever take Hannah's place, nor did she want them to. Thinking about a child with Callie, their child, left her with mixed emotions. For the most part, she felt excited at the prospect. She imagined herself and Callie at ultrasounds, she saw the two of them teaching their child to talk, to ride a bike, to read and to write. She saw holidays and birthdays and family dinners.

Yes, for the most part, she was left with a happy longing at the idea of a baby with Callie. Yet, a smaller side of her, a darker side, couldn't help but feel that she was betraying Hannah's memory, her entire life, by looking forward and planning for the future. That side of her she knew she could never express to Callie. So, instead, she did what she always did.

She faced forward and made plans and hoped for the best.

Callie smiled at her words and leaned forward to chastely kiss her lips. A tiny voice in the back of her mind told her to slow down but she ignored it. Arizona didn't like feeling like she was being scrutinized or second guessed. If she wanted a child, Callie wasn't going to argue with her.

Honestly, she justified her silence by telling herself that, if things got to be too much in the process of their trying to become pregnant, then Arizona would say so and they both could hang the issue up for another day. It was a win-win.

"Okay," Callie said plainly, "let's talk about sperm donors."

Arizona bounced on the sofa and turned around to face her. Crossing her legs under her body, she played, idly, with the material of Callie's pants.

"Well, he has to be smart. That's the main thing. I'm thinking if we can find a guy that looks like me, all the better. I mean, we're not going to find a man who is as hot as I am, but he should have blue eyes and blonde hair. Though, with your genes being all dominant and all, that might not make a difference."

Callie felt her face falling as she listened to Arizona's happy chatter. Her smile, normally infectious, only seemed to sink Callie further into the cushions. _'Blonde hair and blue eyes._' Arizona was under the impression that she, Callie, would be the birth mother? Well, why wouldn't she? It made sense. She'd not spoken to Arizona about her conversation with Addison a few months ago regarding her fears and insecurities. The blonde had no idea of the demons that slept on her shoulders and whispered their poisonous venom into her ears. She knew nothing of Callie's irrational sorrows.

"It'd be awesome if he was a doctor. Terri and I looked at donors for months and finally decided on an artist. For all we know, the guy's idea of art could have been that weird, offensive sculpture like stuff you read about. Hannah liked to color, but most kids do. We could go with an artist if you wanted. I'm not sure what you're loo-"

Arizona stopped talking when she noticed her partner's face. Callie's mouth was half open and her eyes were looking anywhere but at her. The furrow between her brow was more pronounced than Arizona could ever remember seeing it and her shoulder's were tight with obvious tension.

"Umm, did I say something wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on Callie's knee.

The Latina shook her head and tried to assuage the other woman's uncertainty. Plastering a smile on her face, she laughed breathily and looked up into blue eyes.

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I just didn't know there would be so much to think about. I, um, actually wanted to talk with you about something."

Arizona looked curious for a moment, but nodded her head for her lover to continue.

Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, Callie grabbed Arizona's hands and started to speak.

"What if-what if we chose a Latino donor?"

Blue eyes lost their light and pink lips parted to allow a painful gasp to leave their company. Callie wanted to kick herself for starting the conversation the way she had.

"You don't want our-our child to look anything like me? I mean, I just thought you'd want-I-"

Callie shook her head and, once again, used her finger to silence Arizona. She knew what the other woman was thinking and seeing the pain on her face break her own heart.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Listen, okay? We would chose a Latino donor so our child would resemble _me_." Callie's eyes were pleading with her to understand.

"Why would we need-"the blonde started slowly, comprehension eluding her.

"Because you would be the biological mother, Arizona."

Arizona shook her head and moved to stand up from the sofa. "Calliope, I told you before that I didn't think I'd be able to-"

"I'm not asking you to, baby." Callie said, standing as well and coming to join her. "I'll carry our baby for you. Think about it, Arizona. We can both be a part of this pregnancy in a way we otherwise couldn't. You'll be the biological mother, but I'll be the-"

"Surrogate mother. You'll be the one who actually bonds with him or her while you carry." Arizona finished for her. She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea. Callie was right about one thing: it was a unique way for them to both be a part of the pregnancy. At the same time, she wasn't sure how she'd feel holding another child who shared her features. Would the experience remind her too much of Hannah? If it did, would that truly be a bad thing? A child being biologically Callie's could, also, have the same affect.

She felt Callie place her hands around her waist and pull her close.

"Arizona, I'm not asking you to do anything you don't think you can. I just want you to be a part of this with me. Do you know how amazing it would be to carry your baby? I can do that for you, _mariposa_. This child could be a part of both of us."

Arizona sighed and felt her throat tighten. She couldn't put a name to the emotion she was currently feeling. Secure in Callie's loving embrace, she sighed and responded.

"Calliope, you need to give me a little bit to think about this. I-this-is a much more involved procedure. I'm not sure if there are risks or what the rate of conception even is. This isn't how I imagined this going."

Callie's heart pounded behind her ribs as she could practically feel Arizona's tension radiate from her body.

"I'd be just as happy having you as the biological mother, Callie." Arizona said against her neck.

Tensing at the words, Callie pulled away from the embrace and looked at her partner.

"Arizona, please, just think about this. For me, _please_. Don't throw away the idea, okay?"

The blonde couldn't understand why the idea was so important to her partner. A child, however they were conceived, would still be loved and adored by both of them. Even if they chose to adopt, Arizona knew she would grow to love and respect the child. Callie seemed intent on her giving her option an honest thinking over. Maybe it was truly so they could both be a part of the pregnancy.

Perhaps not.

What was she so afraid of? A child, biologically hers, carried by Callie was a beautiful thing if she allowed herself to think about it. It was the closest they both could come to being equal in their involvement and contribution to their baby. What Callie was proposing was a second chance-a second chance at motherhood. She was offering her own body in that endeavor because she knew Arizona, herself, could not bring herself to do the same again.

The knowledge of her partner's grand gesture nearly floored her. Callie was amazing. She was, quite nearly, the most perfect being on the planet in Arizona's eyes.

Deciding to break the silence, the blonde finally spoke up.

"You're serious about this? About this procedure?"

Callie swallowed and nodded her head. "I've talked with Addison about it. She has a friend who'd loved to help us along the way."

Arizona sighed and let her eyes lose focus for a moment. Her thoughts were speeding through her mind a mile a minute. She refused to allow them to sweep her from the present. Side-stepping the hurdles, warning signs, and other obstacles they tried to throw in her path, she met Callie's gaze.

This was her present. She was thirty-three years old. It had been ten years since she'd last had a conversation similar to her current one. She was a doctor, an attending and a surgical fellow. Her career was stable and on the fast track. She was admired and respected by her peers and was sought by other's hoping to gain favor in her chosen field of study.

Not only was her work life booming, so, too, was her personal one. The woman she'd been instantly attracted to nearly three years ago was now her wife. Her life partner. The woman she'd tried to push away, more than once, was still in her life and making each day more wonderful than she ever could have imagined. Calliope Torres, her reason, was the woman she had bought a home with. She was the woman she laughed with, talk to, and fell asleep next to at night.

Callie was the person who had helped her to deal with Hannah's death and the events that had plagued her for so long. She was the woman who had brought her our of her safe little shell and forced her to be more than just efficient, more than just a perky, happy face.

Now, Callie was offering to be the mother of her child. She was offering to do what Arizona knew she could not. Her present, her wonderful and beautiful present, was standing in front of her. The 'present' wasn't a sense of time for Arizona. No, it was a person. A feeling. Her present was in Calliope Torres.

There was nothing she would deny her.

Smiling, dimples adorning her cheeks quickly, Arizona closed the distance between them and leaned her head against Callie's. She felt the taller woman bring her hands up to cup her face.

"I love you so much. You're too good for me." she said softly, the end of her words turning into an, even softer, laugh.

Callie shook her head but refrained from commenting.

"Okay. We'll do this together, Calliope. We'll talk to Addison and we'll see about getting pregnant."

The Latina smiled before kissing her. As her lips met her partners, she couldn't stop the voice in the back of her mind screaming at her.

_'You're setting yourself up',_ it said.

_'You know she's not ready', _it said.

_'You're refusing to see the signs_' it said.

**-Present Day-**

Arizona sat next to Callie's bed in the darkened hospital room. A lamp on the table next to her offered the only illumination. It was all that was needed. Held in her arms, secure against her chest, was Daniella. Her small eyes were open and looking directly at her mother. Arizona knew her daughter could, most likely, only make out shadows and undefined shapes, but looking down into her perfectly innocent face, and seeing that face stare back at her, was more healing than she would have thought possible.

Smiling a special smile mother's reserved for their children, one full of pride, joy and awe, she continued to hold the bottle in her right hand and let her eyes travel over Daniella's features. The soft, yellow, hood over her head matched the white, pink, and yellow onesie she was wearing. Matching yellow mittens covered her tiny hands. Arizona's smile become wider when she remembered the nurse, who had brought Daniella to the room, stating that Daniella seemed to have found a way to remove her own mittens during sleep.

That fact was evident. A small scratch under Daniella's left eye was testimony.

"You're going to have to stop taking your mittens off, baby girl. We can't have you scratching up that pretty face, okay?" she said tenderly.

Daniella's eyes were intermittently closing and opening as she laid in her mother's arms and was fed. Occasionally, she would scrunch her legs against her body or curl her feet, but for the most part she was happy to just have a bottle in her mouth. When the last of the formula was gone, Arizona turned in her chair to place it on the table holding the lamp. Returning to her previous position, she wiped away at any excess formula on Daniella's chin and lips, adjusted her hat on her head, burped her, and, finally, settled her against her body.

Daniella yawned and moved her mitten-covered hands to her face. Suspecting that one of her hands was, in fact, another manner of being fed, she opened her mouth and tried to catch one of her own tiny fists. Arizona chuckled as she watched. Gently, she used the forefinger of her right hand to trail down Daniella's nose.

"You get more beautiful every time I see you. Some of Mama C's genes must have found their way into your DNA, huh?"

Daniella, naturally, said nothing to express her views either way. Arizona grabbed one of her hands between her thumb and forefinger and smiled when she felt Daniella try to grasp her finger. After a moment, she succeeded and Arizona's digit was wound tightly in a tiny mitten covered hand. Several minutes passed as mother and child bonded in a silent union. The room's halcyon atmosphere acted as balm to Arizona and, for a brief span of time, she was able to forget that it had been a week since she'd last spoken to her partner.

Patting Daniella's bottom in a soothing, rhythmic motion meant to induce slumber, Arizona hummed softly and continued to stare into eyes so like her own. Time became a lost device. Little known to her, time was the one thing the sleeping woman next to her had finally figured out and come to understand.

* * *

Time, a period, an interval, a passage of events-one of the many things in life people wanted more of, but valued the least-was something Callie had fought to understand while she had been in a place between worlds. The events of her stay with Hannah had seemed chaotic and unrelated. Most times, she'd been hard pressed to understand the underlying connection between one set of circumstances and another. Hannah's perplexing and ambiguous statements had, at the time they'd been given, done nothing but add to her confusion and state of panic.

Now, though, as she stood in the hallway outside of her own hospital room looking in on her family, she fully comprehended everything her time with Hannah had been meaning to show her.

Hannah, Arizona's 'Dims', was the root, the face, however innocent, of her fears. Without her realizing it, the young girl had come to be the seed of doubt she placed on her relationship. Since finding out about her, Callie had, without her knowledge, worried that her life, her love, her self, would never mean anything to Arizona.

Terri and Hannah had been important parts of Arizona's life at one time. Terri for seven years, Hannah for nearly five. As wonderful as her own time with the blonde had been, Callie had been unable to fully shake the nagging fear that she and any child she had, would one day face a similar fate as their predecessors.

Somewhere along the way, she and Arizona got married and, in a crazy, insane, fast rush of love, became pregnant. They'd gone from talking about things to having to plan for those same things. Just as Hannah had come to be the embodiment of her fears, Daniella, as soon as she could feel her in her womb, had come to be the hope she carried that she and Arizona truly were meant for forever.

Watching her partner smile, a smile she had never witnessed, and hold Daniella in her arms, everything was clear and known to Callie. It had taken a radical and drastic medical crisis and a little help from Hannah Marie, but she knew now what she had been denying herself before.

Hannah was her fear. She didn't want to become Terri. Even though she'd expressed those concerns to Addison, she'd never fully reconciled things in her mind. She'd never spoken to Arizona about matters and she never allowed herself to pinpoint her exact insecurities.

Now, she knew and was ready to return to the life that was waiting for her.

"You can go now, CC. It won't be like last time. You won't come back here."

Callie inhaled a shaky breath and turned away from her view. Sitting in the floor behind her, pale and worn, was Hannah. Her arms were around herself and her legs crossed.

"I-are you going to be okay? I can't leave you like this, Dims."

Hannah laughed and looked up at her. When Callie squatted to her eye level, she placed a hand on her cheek.

"I was never meant to be here, CC. I'll go back where I need to. Promise you'll take care of Mommy, okay?"

Tears bloomed to life in Callie's brown eyes. She placed one of her own hands on top of the small one on her face and nodded earnestly.

"Of course, baby. I'll always take care of her. I'm so glad I got to meet you." she said in a heavy breath of barely controlled emotion.

Hannah smiled, dimples adorning each of her cheeks, and said, "Me, too, Callie. Me, too."

Callie leaned forward, kissed her head, and quickly stood up. Taking a deep breath, she was about to enter her hospital room when something dawned on her and she turned back around.

"Are you even really Hannah or just some mental imagery of my fears?"

Hannah was standing, too, now and Callie was stunned to notice that she no longer appeared sick. Her eyes were bright, without dark circles under them, and her complexion no longer lacked a youthful glow.

"Does it matter, CC?"

"I guess not. I just...I just wanted to know."

Once again she turned around to leave.

"Callie? Will you tell Mommy something for me?"

The Latina nodded and bent down so that Hannah could whisper something in her ear. Smiling, though clearly confused at the words she'd just been passed, she stood back and, one last time, walked towards the door.

Grabbing the handle, she pushed aside the barrier between her and her life. A kaleidoscope of dull colors and sensations washed over her. Distorted voices, from friends, family and Hannah, came at her like a gust of wind. She seemed to walk by different scenes from different times in her life. The closer she got to her body, the more color her surroundings obtained. Standing over her own body, she took one last deep breath and plunged forward.

* * *

A vaguely familiar sensation overcame her. It was of heaviness and weariness. She felt confined and restricted. Memories of Hannah and their time together seemed to gallop away from her on a steed she had no hope of catching. The world around her was muted and numb. Panic of the unknown tried to overtake her, but she slowed her jumbled thoughts and tried to concentrate.

The first sense she became aware of was her sense of smell. The scent assaulting her nostrils was very well known to her. It was shared the world over despite distance and geography.

She was in a hospital.

A moment later, that assumption was confirmed when her sense of hearing alerted her to the sound of machines and monitors. At first, their beeps were low and hard to make out, but as she strained to continue focusing on them, they soon became regular and welcome. Opening her eyes in a sluggish manner, she blinked several times in an attempt to bring more vivid detail to her dim and blurred surroundings.

The room around her was cast in semi darkness and individual shapes were hard to make out. Her brain felt fuzzy and resistant to the idea of working with her. She stared at, what she assumed to be, a window for several minutes. The longer she focused on it, the more detail the image provided her.

She _was_ in a hospital room and the object of her attention was, indeed, a window. Curtains, closed, hung over it and only made the things around them appear even darker. Her senses of smell and hearing were becoming more acute and their information was proving a boon to her. A sound to her left caught her attention and she attempted, with great effort, to turn her head in that direction.

"I love you, sweetheart. You know that? And I'm going to watch over you forever. My sweet little Dani."

The voice was achingly beautiful and the tone it was spoken in only made it more so. Finally getting her body to do as she wished, Callie turned her head to the left and her eyes fell upon a sight that nearly stilled her heart.

Arizona, _her _Arizona, was sitting in a chair next to her. She looked tired, unkempt and thin, but she radiated beauty nonetheless. Her hair, normally shiny and full and healthy was pulled back in a care-free tail and appeared lifeless.

Callie would have gasped at the image before her had not the tube in her mouth been present to make such a thing impossible. She let her hungry eyes travel over every inch of the woman next to her that they could find. Arizona had yet to notice that she was awake.

As she continued to stare at her partner, her eyes eventually noticed something else. Or, rather, someone else. Nestled in Arizona's arms, secure against her chest, was a gorgeous baby girl. _Her_ baby girl.

Her small body was wrapped in a soft looking blanket and her eyes were unsure of whether or not they wanted to remain open or close. A small hood on top of her head covered most of her head from Callie's view, but she could make out dark hair under it's edges. The darkness of the room, and her own limited vision, kept her from being able to take in anymore of her child's features. Despite that, she knew she was beautiful and perfect.

An overwhelming desire to touch her, to feel her skin, came over her and she closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotion. A single tear fell down her cheek and became lost somewhere along her neckline.

Arizona and Daniella were right next to her. She could barely remember where she'd been or how she'd come to be where she was. The one thing she did know was that she had been frightened and without Arizona for a long time and had yet to actually meet her daughter. Yet, here she was with both of them.

Testing her limits, she tried to raise her left arm. The limb felt heavy, as though she were attempting to move it through wet cement. Wiggling her fingers, she was gratified when they responded to her command. After a brief bit of experimenting, she was finally able to slide her hand across the bed and toward Arizona and Daniella. The movement was slight and did little in aiding her desire to touch her family, but it was enough.

Arizona noticed the movement and turned around suddenly. Her eyes locked with Callie's and time slowed to allow them both a moment to appreciate it.

"Calliope?" she asked tentatively as she stood from her chair.

Callie would have smiled had she been able to. Instead, she blinked once and hoped her partner would understand the meaning behind the simple gesture.

Arizona released a heavy sigh and a smile broke out over her face. Turning back around, she moved away from Callie. The Latina noticed a bassinet next to the chair. She watched her partner gently place Daniella in it before rushing back to her side.

"Hi, baby." she breathed out, happily. Callie felt warm, soft, and gentle hands smoothing her hair away from her face. The sensation was shocking. Arizona's tender fingers traced over her eyebrows and came to rest on either side of her face.

"God, I'm so happy to see you. Can you understand me?"

Callie blinked once, again and continued to stare at the woman above her. The smile that appeared on Arizona's face was one of relief and gratitude. Hands moved to tangle in dark hair and a half sob resounded in the room.

"Callie..." Arizona whispered.

Anything more she'd been meaning to say was cut off as a sob left her throat and tears spilled down her cheeks. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead against Callie's and held on to her for dear life as her emotions expressed themselves. Her lips kissed anywhere they could find purchase.

"I love you, baby. I love you so much. Thank you for coming back to me. To us. Callie, my _heart_, I've been so lost without you."

Callie could do little else but listen and try to understand the meaning behind the words being so raggedly and brokenly spoken. Arizona had never cried like she was crying now. It was beyond anything Callie had ever experienced before. The emotions, the sobs, leaving Arizona's body seemed to be in complete control of her. They continued even when it was obvious that the blonde was trying to regain her composure.

It wasn't just the cries, alone, that so jarred Callie. It was the torn and raspy quality of Arizona's whispered declarations that, also, caught her attention. Just a moment before, she'd been listening to the melodic beauty of her partner's voice. Now, she barely recognized it. It was pained, rough, yet also thankful and hopeful.

How long had she been in the hospital? What had happened to bring her in in the first place?

Arizona sniffed and pulled back to look down into her face. Her own face was wet and red. Once again, fingers moved across her skin in a search for deeper contact.

"I thought I'd lost you, baby. I was so scared. You know where you are?"

Callie scrunched her brow at the words, but blinked once to signal her comprehension.

Running her hands through Callie's hair, Arizona nodded and continued, "Do you know why you're here?"

For the first time since awakening, Callie blinked twice and fear added a darker quality to her eyes.

Arizona said nothing. Her eyes couldn't seem to look at her enough. Kissing her forehead again, she smiled and changed the subject of their one sided conversation.

"That's okay, baby. I have someone I want you to meet."

Without giving Callie a moment to think about why she was in the hospital, Arizona turned around and walked back to the bassinet she'd placed Daniella in earlier. Soft words, unintelligible to Callie's ears, fell from her lips as she bent down to pick up their daughter.

Callie felt her heart starting to race. Her entire body seemed to tingle with anticipation. She wished she could speak so she could tell Arizona how perfect she thought the two of them looked together, but alas, her voice wasn't her own in that moment.

Arizona, Daniella in her arms, stood back up and turned back around to face her. A breathtaking smile was on her face and it became more visible the closer she got to Callie. Once at her bedside, Arizona used one hand to support Daniella and the other to lower the guard rail of her partner's bed. Sitting down at Callie's hip, she faced her lover and smiled again. Callie's hand, that had been at her side, moved and attempted to reach out to them both.

"Daniella, this is your Mama C." Arizona said. Looking back up at Callie, she said "Calliope, meet your daughter."

Tears, once again, sprang into being in Callie's eyes. Arizona, noticing her difficulty in moving her hand, reached down with her own and grasped it. Squeezing gently, the blonde guided her partner's hand up to the child in her arms. Callie's hand landed against Daniella's side and Arizona used her own hand to steady her partner's. Even though Callie couldn't speak, the blonde was able to gauge her reaction simply by looking into her eyes.

They spoke volumes, probably more than words ever could. Arizona could see Callie's chest rising and falling rapidly as the impact of the moment collided with both of them.

"Welcome back, baby."


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29:**

**A/N**:Once again, I must apologize for the lack in updates. Real life has been, unbelievably, frustrating lately. This update is far, far, from my best but we'll blame stress for that.  
**A/N 2: **I struggled with this update a lot. I didn't want to go into extensive detail on the procedures used or the medical mumbo-jumbo. I tried to explain, in just enough detail, what Callie and Arizona had been up to since the last update without boring everyone on the finer points of such a complicated set of steps. This chapter, basically, is just to let everyone know how they became pregnant, how they each reacted to the news, and so forth. The past sequences are going to be pretty light seeing as how it's just going to detail the joys of Callie's pregnancy. Expect fluff and laughs, mainly, for the past parts. The present day events are going to become the main focus of the story. Callie is no longer in a coma, but that doesn't mean she is 100%. Anyway, I'll hush. Enjoy!

**-8 months ago-**

The events following Callie and Arizona's decision to become pregnant were nothing but a blur to both women. Time at the hospital kept them both busy with very little time to speak with others about their desired procedure. A week after deciding to make their dream become a reality, Callie managed a brief conversation with her former surgical fellow. Addison had been delighted and had promised to make all the necessary arrangements. Callie's pregnancy was intended to be a gestational surrogate pregnancy. Addison had broken down the steps to Callie who had been overwhelmed with the depth of their endeavor.

From ovarian stimulation for Arizona(using medications to develop multiple eggs), to placing Callie on medications that would suppress her own menstrual cycle and stimulate development of a receptive uterine lining, to choosing a sperm donor, the steps involved for the two of them to become pregnant seemed immense.

With each new day, Callie expected Arizona to change her mind. She expected the reality of things to become too much for her. Arizona never wavered. She expressed her opinions and her thoughts when the two of them couldn't decide on a sperm donor, relayed her own experiences with the IVF procedure, spoke of the headaches of worrying if the endless list of things to do was truly so vast, and read up on everything she could find about gestational surrogate pregnancy.

After finally deciding on a bio engineer in his mid-thirties as their donor, Callie and Arizona had been one step closer to realizing their dream. February had faded like Winter's chill and the dawn of March broke out before the two women. Arizona had been on medication for nearly two weeks when she was scheduled for an IVF Egg Retrieval procedure. Callie had been unable to take time off to accompany her partner to California due to her surgery schedule, but had sent her love and support. Upon her return to Seattle, Arizona had told Callie that the next phase of their trying to conceive would come about in three to five days, after their doctors had gone about the injection process known as ICSI. During that time, Addison and her fellows would check for fertilization to ensure the last step of the procedure-placing the embryos into Callie.

If all went well, Addison had explained, Callie would know if she had conceived fourteen days later. The time after the embryo transfer procedure, like so much of the past several weeks, had passed more quickly than either Callie or Arizona had been aware. On the morning of the fourteenth day after her transfer, Callie opted to test her blood for HCG-the pregnancy hormone. Being a doctor herself, it seemed rather silly to make a trip to California to speak with Addison when she possessed the means to check herself where she was.

Her own fellow doctors, though knowing only that she and Arizona were trying to become pregnant, knew little else in regard to the steps taken to ensure such an event. She and Arizona had wanted to keep the matter mainly to themselves until such a time came that would warrant the news being spread. After nearly a month of tests, hormones, medications, and trips, the magnitude of what she was about to find out nearly floored her. Everything had seemed so surreal in the weeks leading up to today. Now, however, the moment was not only real, it was also humbling. In a very short period of time, she would know if their procedure had worked. She would know if she was pregnant.

Mark opened the door to the exam room she was currently in and pulled her from her thoughts.

"Hey, got your page. What's up? Blondie not giving you any? Because it's been a while since you paged me to an empty room."

Callie shook her head at her best friend's humor. Throwing him a 'get serious' look, she sighed and replied, "'Blondie gives me plenty. No complaints there. I just wanted you to draw some blood."

Mark's dirty smirk at the first part of her words faded and a look of confusion crossed over his face. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to his friend where she sat on an exam table.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Callie smiled to ease his worries and nodded her head. "Everything's fine. It's been two weeks since the transfer and I-"

"You want a pregnancy test?" he finished for her.

Callie nodded again.

"Where's Arizona? Why not have her do this with you?"

"If it didn't take, I don't want to bother her with it. But, if it did, " a smile spread across Callie's full lips, "if it did, I want to be able to surprise her with it."

Hands on his hips, Mark joined in her goofy smile. "Alright, fine. I still can't believe you and Robbins are trying to get pregnant. She's not exactly someone I would picture having kids...even with the pigtails and the roller skates."

Mark moved away from her to gather the necessary supplies to draw a sample of blood. In so doing, he missed the shadow that came over Callie's feature at his words. Returning to the table a moment later, he grabbed her right arm gently and looked up at her.

"Here we go."

* * *

Arizona reviewed the surgical board in front of her and sighed. Her morning so far had been extremely busy. A pyloric stenosis repair had started off her day, followed by an ear tube placement, an appendectomy and finally ending with an umbilical hernia repair. Scratching her scalp through her scrub cap, she was happy to see that she had bought herself some free time. The past several weeks had been taxing and time consuming. Every time she'd turned around, there had been a test she had to take, a phone call she'd been required to make, or an injection she'd had to undergo. Those things had just been in her personal life.

Her time at the hospital, as a surgeon, had been just as demanding. Rounds and surgeries took up the majority of her days while filling out and signing charts completed her evenings. Time was in such short supply, that she'd found very little of it to allow herself to stop and process much of anything. Part of her viewed the last month as exciting. She was taking the next step in her life. Another part of her was drained and wished only that the world would slow down for a moment to allow her to catch her breath. She knew, though, that if she did stop and process things, her overly rational mind would produce a very convincing counter argument that would surely impede her more shy dreamer self. So, she chose to ignore and overlook that side of herself and, instead, look to her future with Callie.

Hands on her shoulders caught her attention and she jumped slightly at the unexpected contact.

"Sorry, it's just me. I saw you standing here." a welcome voice said behind her.

Turning around, Arizona met her partner's deep brown eyes. A spark of something unknown twinkled in the dark depths before her, but she was too tired to attempt to place what it could be. Forcing a smile, granted a very worn one, on her face, she looked around and noticed she and Callie were alone.

"Hey. I was just making sure I didn't have any other surgeries planned for this afternoon. Pending some great emergency, I should be able to leave early tonight."

Callie noticed the exhausted tone in Arizona's voice. Both of them had been kept, unnaturally, busy the last month. With the news she'd just received, she knew they were not likely to be slowing down anytime soon. Running the back of her knuckles over her lover's cheek bone, she smiled and bit her lip.

"I'm free tonight, too. My schedule hasn't been as busy as yours. How about I cook for us tonight and we enjoy some time alone?"

Arizona smiled, her eyes lighting up at the suggestion. It had been several weeks since she and Callie had enjoyed any real quality time together. The idea of spending a night in with her partner was extremely enticing to her.

"I'd love that, Calliope. Let's hope no tiny humans need surgery tonight."

"Let Karev handle them if they do. We need tonight, _mariposa_. It's important." Callie said, forcing that need into the weight of her voice.

Arizona looked slightly confused but the sound of her pager buzzing against her hip caused her to tear her eyes away from her lover's. She glanced down at the device attached to her hip.

"Teddy needs a consult. I'll see you tonight." she said before quickly kissing Callie's lips and bounding down the hall.

Callie licked her lips, enjoying the taste that lingered on them and smiled. Tonight would change everything. The news regarding her HCG test had floored her. She could barely wrap her head around what everything meant. Despite knowing the result, a sense of fantastical surrealism still danced throughout her thoughts.

She was pregnant. Their procedure had worked. On the first try. Growing inside of her at that very minute was a part of Arizona. Her love. In nine months-nine long months-they would welcome a new addition into their lives.

Yes, her news would change everything.

* * *

Arizona entered her home and looked around. Low lights cast the room in a ghostly and warm glow. She had been surprised when she'd managed to leave the hospital an hour earlier than she'd originally planned. Karev had been more than willing to handle the rest of her cases on his own, stating that he didn't need a babysitter to watch over into the foyer, she hung her coat up and placed her purse on the floor by the door.

"Callie?" she called into the silence.

A moment later, a distant voice cut against the quiet and answered back. "In the kitchen."

Turning to her left and entering her living room, Arizona passed through the dim area quickly and entered the dining room. Making another left, she strode into the kitchen and spotted her partner placing a plate of delicious looking food on the dining table.

"Hey!" Callie said, happily.

Arizona smiled at the arrangements before her. Tapered candles sat in the center of the table and offered a romantic light to the setting. The curtains over the sliding doors behind the table were drawn, but the occasional clap of thunder and lightening lit up the covering and spoke of a possible smells of Callie's dish wafted to Arizona's nose and caused her stomach to rumble in anticipation.

"Chicken picatta?" she asked, noticing the different smells immediately.

"Mmmhmm and key-lime pie for dessert."

Callie pulled a chair out and motioned for Arizona to sit. Her smile was bright and happy. Walking over to the proffered chair, the blonde threw a suspicious look to her partner before making herself comfortable.

"What gives? Did I miss the significance of today or something? It's not an anniversary or a birthday..."

Taking a sit opposite of her lover, Callie continued to smile. "Nope, you didn't forget anything. I can't just make you a nice meal?"

Arizona noticed a playful, yet misleading, gleam in Callie's knowing smile. Despite what she was being told, she knew things had yet to present themselves fully. Callie making one of their favorite meals and insisting that she be home for dinner was enough for her spidey senses to tingle. In the end, she decided to play along with her partner's little game and see where the night took them.

* * *

An hour later, after both women were sated and the kitchen had been cleaned, Callie and Arizona found themselves sitting together on a large couch in their family room. The spacious nook was separate from the dining room by only a single, waist high partition. Several deeply colored wooden bookshelves held a vast variety of books, dvds, cds, journals, encyclopedias and the such. A large screen tv, complete with an in home theater system, covered most of the right wall. The system's black sheen contrasted with the off white carpet, but not in an obtrusive way.

Magazines, ranging from National Geographic to Cosmo, laid spread about on the glass top table in front of the tv. A slow rain fell happily from the heavens outside, leaving Callie and Arizona safe and secure in their home.

Straddling her lover's slim hips, Callie teasingly kissed along Arizona's neck and jaw. "You know it's been over two weeks since we had sex."

Humming her approval of the attention she was receiving, the blonde scrunched her brows together and pulled her head back to look into brown eyes.

"What? No it hasn't." she protested.

Callie smiled and rested her arms over Arizona's shoulders, her hands bracing the cushions behind her head. "Uh, yeah it has. The last time we had sex was a few days before the transfer procedure."

Smiling again, the tall Latina leaned forward and captured her lover's lips with her own. The kiss lasted only briefly before Arizona, once again, pulled away. "That wasn't two weeks ago. That was..."

Her sentence ran off as her brain fought to retrieve the information. Callie said nothing as she watched. Her smile only grew as the truth of her statement dawned on the woman in front of her. After another pregnant pause, Arizona met her eyes, disbelief still crossing her features.

"Wow, has it really been two weeks?"

"Yep, I hadn't really thought about it until Mark made some 'Markish' comment about you keeping me fulfilled."

Arizona laughed and placed her hands on Callie's thighs. Scratching lightly, she raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice an octave. "Is this your way of telling me I'm falling behind on my wifely duties?"

Callie smirked at the sudden change of mood the simple cadence of her partner's voice could produce. Nodding her head, she smiled and moved her hands from the couch to Arizona's neck. The blonde took her cue and leaned forward to kiss her, thinking a make out session was in their immediate future.

"You can't fall behind on your duties anymore." Callie said in a husky voice, before uniting her lips with her partner's.

"Of course not. I plan on making it all up to you right now." came the reply. Arizona moved her hands from her lover's thighs and trailed them up her stomach. Her fingers found the buttons of Callie's top and she quickly worked on undoing them. A heavy sigh greeted her efforts.

"Touch me." the Latina begged once her blouse had been spread open. Arizona nipped her bottom lip and brushed her fingers over her breasts. Even through the material of her bra, the touch was electrifying. She heard her lover's contented moan and sought her lips once again.

"Are you going to make it up to me here on the couch?" she asked, her tongue sliding over her partner's wet lips.

Instead of answering right away, Arizona palmed her breasts and squeezed the pliable flesh with urgency. She attached her mouth to Callie's neck and started to suck against the beat of her pulse. Moving her lips to her ear, the blonde kissed her earlobe and replied, "Yes, I'm going to make you come right here on the couch."

At her words, Callie felt herself becoming lost to the intoxicating sway of arousal. She raised up on her knees and felt Arizona's right hand immediately move down to the zipper of her pants. Lips and teeth still kissed, sucked, and nipped at her neck and nimble fingers were soon slipping past the barrier of her underwear to touch moistened flesh. Holding Arizona's head to her neck, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

Her news, their news, the news she needed to tell her partner suddenly sprang to the front of her mind. She knew, before things progressed to an unstoppable point, that she needed to tell Arizona what she'd found out earlier that day.

"Arizona..."she started, trying to pull away.

The smaller woman brushed her nose across the underside of her ear and trailed her lips to her jaw line. Her name, spoken so heavily, barely registered in her train of thought. Callie was moving against the fingers she had between her legs while her hands grasped against the side of her neck.

"Wait..." Callie tried again.

Arizona moved her mouth to Callie's and was about to silence her words when the Latina breathed against her lips. The words, carried on that breath, brought a profound silence to the room.

"I'm pregnant."

Wide blue eyes met anxious brown. The fingers moving along Callie's length stopped and were soon motionless.

"What?" a disbelieving voice whispered.

Callie swallowed the nervous lump that had formed in her throat and tried again. "I'm pregnant."

"We aren't even sure if the transfer took-" Arizona started.

"It took, _mariposa_. I tested for HCG earlier. The test came back positive. Apparently, you really _do_ enjoy being inside me." the taller woman said attempting to add a bit of levity to the news.

As before, stunned silence invaded the conversation. Deciding to continue on, Callie smiled and ran her thumbs across Arizona's face.

"I knew today was the two week line. There was no point in us flying to California unless the first procedure didn't take. I had Mark draw some blood-"

"Wait, Mark knew you were pregnant before I did?"

Callie shook her head and leaned forward to kiss the tip of her lover's nose. "No, of course not. He just drew the blood. I wanted to surprise you if the test was positive. Surprise"

Arizona couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the news. It shouldn't have come as such life-altering information. She and Callie had been trying to conceive. A pregnancy was the likely outcome of such efforts. She wondered if this was how men felt when they continually slept with their wives and then were shocked when they found out a baby was on the way.

It was...surreal. Everything had happened so fast. They'd decided to have a child one day, looked at donors the next, taken injections and undergone procedures afterwards, and now so very soon after they'd begun, they were pregnant. Callie was pregnant. A tiny part of her was growing in her partner. The feelings pumping through her blood were too many to count, let alone focus on.

Before, with Terri and Hannah, she had decided to carry. The thought of Terri being more involved in that pregnancy had not seemed to matter. Hannah had been biologically hers and even though Terri had loved Hannah like she was her own, the truth was that she had taken no real part in the conception. That had not, in any way, lessened her as a mother or a partner. She and Terri had loved and cared for Hannah like any other parents.

But this? This situation was different. She wasn't with Terri. She was with Callie. Callie was carrying their child, not her. Their child was going to truly be a part of them. In nine months, she and Callie would be mothers. She couldn't believe how fast everything had come about.

Callie, noticing the prolonged silence and confounded look on Arizona's face, felt her heart begin to beat rapidly. She couldn't seem to decipher her partner's reaction, or lack thereof. Was she happy? Upset?

"Arizona,_ please _say something." she pleaded. Fingers between her thighs moved and she raised up again so her partner could fully remove them.

Another moment of listening to her own heart beat in her ears and then, "You're pregnant? You're sure?"

Callie nodded and smiled softly, "Yeah, there's a little you in here." she said leaning back and placing her hands on her mid section.

The blonde shook her head slowly, a timid smile forcing it's way onto her lips. "Oh my god..." she whispered and looked back up at Callie. Her lover kept her gaze and allowed her to process the news. She'd been in a similar state earlier when she'd gotten her results. Even though she'd prayed for the news, hoped even, the results had still been unreal to her.

"Oh my god..."Arizona said again before grabbing Callie's face and kissing her fiercely. She tried to convey the enormity of what she was feeling. They were pregnant. Though they had been working towards that goal, the knowledge that they had been successful, on their first attempt, was overwhelming.

"You're happy?" Callie asked between kisses.

Arizona peppered her lips and chin with a few parting, light, caresses before pulling away to stare into her eyes.

"I'm floored, Calliope. It's all happened so fast. Just a few months ago, this was just a discussion. Now, it's our reality. I'm...I'm shocked, but I'm also happy. Very happy."

Callie nodded, accepting the words as truth, and smiled. Arizona's earlier silence had terrified her. She had feared that the other woman's past had finally made an appearance in their plans. Seeing the blonde smile and being moved to tears washed away her rising anxiety.

"I love you." Arizona whispered.

Callie couldn't keep her smile from her face. Wrapping her arms around her lover's neck, she hugged her tightly. "I love you, too, Arizona. I love you, too. Just promise me you'll still love me when I'm big and fat."

Laughing joyously, Arizona placed her hands over Callie's abdomen and forced her to look at her. "I'll always love you. No matter what."

**-Present Day-**

Arizona watched Callie's face as the other woman interacted with their daughter for the first time. Although Callie was unable to move as freely as she wished, her expression told Arizona of how the encounter was moving her. Tightening her hold on Callie's fingers, she smiled and scooted closer. Daniella's eyes were wide and moving around. Her legs kicked out and her tiny hands waved about the air in front of her face.

Arizona smiled and looked to Callie. Tears ran to her face while her heart monitor showed the strength of her emotions as it beeped more quickly.

"Daniella, I think Mama C is happy to see you." the blonde whispered.

Callie closed her eyes and her unshed tears slipped from her lids. Something tugged at the back of her mind but it's form was shapeless and hard to identify. Daniella? Their daughter? No, no. That couldn't be right. She still had a month until she was full term. Right? Her mind struggled to move through her jumbled thoughts. She tried, in vain, to recall her last memory. Something had happened. She was aware of that much. Her current location was evidence enough.

Arizona, noticing the furrow between her lover's brow, squeezed her hand again. "Calliope. Stay here with me."

Callie opened her eyes. The words were shockingly familiar. She'd heard them when and by whom? There were too many questions. The tube down her throat kept her from getting the answers she needed. She felt trapped. Her body would not listen to her. She was unable to move as she wished and her voice was being held prisoner by the same device helping her to breathe.

"Baby, it's okay. I'll page Derek and have him come in right away. Please just stay here with me. _Please_. Can you do that for me, gorgeous? Can you stay here with me?"

The hand that had been on top of her own, keeping it steady against Daniella, moved and brushed across her forehead. Callie could hear the frightened tone underlying her partner's words. She wondered how long she had been away and what horrors Arizona had been forced to endure alone. Blinking once, she moved her eyes back to Daniella. Smoky blue eyes were staring back at her.

Daniella was breathtaking to behold. Callie noticed how small she was and wished she could smile. Mitten covered hands moved over her nose, but still, Daniella's focus stayed on her. She could feel movement underneath her hand as the perfect little human continued to move legs, feet, and arms in an exploration of ability.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Arizona whispered after a moment of studying her partner. She grasped Callie's index finger and moved it in front of Daniella's flaying little fist. Even through her mitten, she was able to grab the object that had come into her limited line of felt her daughter's tight hold on her finger and new tears welled up in her eyes.

She could stay here with Arizona. She _would_ stay here with Arizona. Nothing, ever again, would take her away from her family.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30:**

**A/N:** Things continue to move along this chapter. Major progress is achieved in the present day events and Arizona finally gets her lap dance in the past sequences. Song used is Naughty by Nature(feat. Pink) 'What you Wanna Do'. As I've stated before, I have no medical knowledge so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

**-Present Day-**

Derek Shepard entered Callie's room and smiled at the sight that greeted him. Flipping the lights to a higher setting, he cleared his throat to make known his presence. Arizona looked over her right shoulder. She noticed Derek was wearing a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants. Judging by his appearance, she deduced that he must have decided to come to the hospital sooner rather than later.

"Derek, she's awake. She's interactive and responsive."

Derek, smiling his McDreamy smile, walked closer to Callie's bed and flipped through her chart. Arizona picked Daniella up and gently laid her in the bassinet which sat to the right of her chair.

"Dr. Torres, you've given us all quite a scare. Can you blink once for me to let me know you can hear me?"

Callie, slowing tearing her eyes away from Arizona, turned her gaze to Derek and blinked. Once.

Smiling, Derek nodded and held up two fingers. "Can you blink to signify the number of fingers I'm holding up?"

Frowning slightly at the request, Callie looked back to Arizona who was standing to her immediate left. She noticed, with lights less dim, how exhausted her partner looked. Dark circles shadowed her eyes and lines, brought about by stress, were noticeable around her beautiful mouth.

Arizona pushed her hair away from her face and smiled down at her encouragingly. "It's okay, baby. Just do what he asked. You can do it."

Brown eyes, once again, turned back to the foot of the bed where Derek stood.

"How many fingers, Dr. Torres?"

Callie glanced at his hand and focused on the fingers he had held up. They were blurry from so far away and her vision was cloudy. Despite those factors, she was able to just make out two fingers. Meeting his eyes again, she blinked twice.

"Good, good." Derek said, coming closer to her. Checking her pupils' reaction, he smiled when he received the response he had been hoping for.

"Callie, I'm going to grab your hand and place it in my palm and I want you to try to push against it, okay? Just push as hard as you can. Do you understand?"

Callie blinked once and a moment later, her hand was in Derek's. She tried to move her hand, to push against his as he had told her to, but she couldn't seem to make contact with her muscles. Tears formed in her eyes at her inability to do such a simple thing. She noticed Derek's slight frown and it only made her more determined to succeed.

Staring at her hand, she hoped to will it to do as she wished. She felt as if she were trying to move another person's hand, instead of her own. In the end, the only movement she was able to manage was a slight wiggle of her fingers. How had she moved her hand earlier?

"Okay," Derek said, lying her hand back on the bed, "she'll need some time to regain her mobility. I'll set her up with a physical therapist. She's been prone and stationary for several days. She'll need to relearn how to control her body."

The words were directed at Arizona who only nodded mutely and crossed an arm over her chest. The blonde wiped away at the tears starting to fall down Callie's golden skin.

"No, no, sweetheart. No tears. We'll get through this, okay? You just focus on getting better and staying here. We'll figure out the rest together."

Callie could do nothing more than accept the words spoken by her love. The thought of never being able to touch her again was frightening to Callie. Equally as harrowing, was the prospect of never being able to hold Daniella. She _had_ to regain her mobility.

"Can we take the tube out? I want to talk to her. I need to hear her voice." Arizona asked Derek, yet her eyes sought Callie.

Derek looked back at Callie and then pulled Arizona towards the door of the room. In a low voice, he replied, "There's no guarantee that she'll be able to speak. Though she's aware of her surroundings and is showing promising signs of reaction, I can't make any promises as to a prognosis. This is going to take time. I need for you to understand that."

Arizona ran her hands through her hair and over her face. She was tired, hungry, sore, exhausted, lonely, stressed and aching for her other half. Derek's words, though true, were not wanted by her. She had been alone, without Callie, for over a week. She'd had to survive without Callie, all the while not knowing if she would ever wake up and look at her again. The first time she'd awakened had been brief. Arizona had barely had time to register that she was looking into unfocused, hazy brown eyes before Callie had slipped back into unconsciousness.

Now, though, not only was she awake, she was responding to her. She was understanding speech and visual cues. She was emotionally responsive to, not only her, but also to Daniella. Their child. She was awake. Arizona didn't care about the rest of it. She knew Callie would come back to her. Completely.

Looking back up at Derek, she swallowed her fears and bit her bottom lip. "Derek, this is Calliope. My Calliope. I'm not expecting some miraculous recovery. I just need..." her voice trailed off and she noticed Derek's eyes soften. "I need to know that she's here with me. I'm afraid to go to sleep because she may be gone again when I wake up. Please, remove the tube. She's awake. I need her. You have to understand that."

He did understand where she was coming from. Were he in her shoes and Meredith was the one who had been lying in a coma for over a week, he knew he would be reacting in a similar manner.

"I do understand and I'll do everything I can to help her. I just need for you to know that this is going to be a process."

Releasing a heavy sigh through her lips, Arizona looked back at Callie and noticed she was being watched. Her decision was easily made for her.

"Remove the tube." she said simply.

**-7 months ago-**

"What are you doing? I can't read if you're going to have the volume that loud."

Callie ignored Arizona's protest and proceeded to increase the volume of her chosen song. Pink's raspy voice and a catchy beat came to life on the speakers a moment later. Moving her hips, sensually, to the music Callie smirked and turned back to her partner. Arizona was regarding her with a raised eyebrow. Swaying her lower body in a sinful way, she continued to move to the tempo increasing as the song started.

Arizona licked lips that were suddenly dry and met Callie's eyes. Dark brown orbs, devoured by lust, loomed over her. A male rapper, his words hard to understand, came to her attention. The way Callie was moving closer to her and the way she seemed to express the song with her body, drowned out the obscenity of the lyrics around her.

Callie stopped in front of Arizona and grabbed the book from her hands. Tossing it to the bed, carelessly, she dipped her hips lower and gyrated above her lover. Her hands rested on the back of the chair on either side of Arizona's head. Rather immediately, the blonde attempted to touch her. Hands grasping her, ever moving, hips were slapped away as soon as they made contact.

"No touching." the Latina whispered with a voice laced with desire.

Her breasts were heaving directly in front of Arizona's face as she continued to push herself against the sitting , keeping time with the music, Callie unbuttoned her top and let it hang open in front of her lover. The red bra she'd decided to wear for the occasion only seemed to make her honey colored skin more enticing.

Despite the words she'd just heard whispered, Arizona's fingers soon found themselves reaching for the prizes she knew to be contained in the red material before her. The way Callie was moving above her was intoxicating. She knew her partner oozed sex appeal and wore sensuality like a second skin, but having those two things directed at her in so strong a display was causing the wetness between her legs to increase at a surprising rate.

As before, Callie grabbed her hands and pushed them away from her body. Her lips were inches from her face and the warmth that teased her only furthered her desire to touch the perfect body so close to her.

"I said no touching." Callie said again, her voice losing none of it's appeal. Rolling her hips suddenly in a maddening maneuver, she noticed Arizona couldn't stop the shaky breath that left her lips. Callie, body still swaying from side to side, moved back to remove her shirt from her shoulders. The silky garment slid from her body and landed on the floor.

Standing in a pair of red boy shorts and a matching red bra, she smiled wickedly and leaned back down to Arizona. Letting her tongue slide along the other woman's bottom lip, she rejoiced at the helpless moan that was caused by her efforts. Her hands landed on the smaller woman's shoulders and she rolled her hips steadily downwards until she was straddling her body. Resting her weight on her knees, on either side of Arizona's hips, she once again pushed her breasts into the other woman's face and continued to move and sway and roll her body as seductively as she could. Arizona was looking up at her, eyes doing a poor job of disguising her arousal.

Arching her back, Callie pushed her sex against Arizona and continued to look down into her eyes. She used one hand to reach behind her back and undo the clasp of her bra.

"Remove it." she ordered the blonde.

Blue eyes, nearly black with wanton need, widened and the sound of a breath being sharply taken momentarily distracted Callie from the lap dance she was giving.

Arizona's hands wasted no time in freeing Callie's perfect breasts from their confines. Once the bra was free, it quickly accompanied the shirt on the floor beside her. Fingers moved to touch and adore highly aroused skin and Callie, caught up in the moment, allowed things to happen.

Pink was singing again and the steady beat, beat, thump, of the song served only to become in sync with the throbbing between her thighs. Despite Arizona's hands, and now mouth, on her breasts, her hips and lower body continued to move and rock in time with the music into her partner's body.

A second man began to rap and his words were no less vulgar. Pulling away again, Callie nearly laughed at the pout she noticed on Arizona's face. Once she was standing above her girlfriend, she locked eyes with her and proceeded to shimmy out of her last article of clothing. The red shorts moved agonizingly slow over golden thighs and calves and finally came to rest on the floor around Callie's feet.

Stepping out of them, she headed back to Arizona, body moving the entire time to the song around her. Arizona's mouth was dry and she knew Callie could see the hardness of her nipples through the thin material of her shirt. She kept her eyes locked with her lover's as the taller woman advanced on her once more. She could smell Callie's arousal and it caused a sharp, pleasurable pulse to shoot through her body.

Once positioned over her partner, Callie grabbed her hands and moved them behind the chair.

"Keep these here." she said against Arizona's lips. Before she could move away, the blonde leaned forward and attacked her lips with a passion born of restraint. Unable to resist the desire behind the kiss, Callie allowed it to continue a moment more before pulling away.

The song was continuing behind her and Pink's voice and words were adding fuel to her desire. Straddling the slim hips underneath her, she moved her fingers to the drawstrings of her partner's lounge pants.

"I promised you a lap dance a few months ago." she breathed against Arizona's mouth. "Then, you had to go and knock me up and I knew I had to give you what I'd promised before I got too pregnant."

Arizona sighed and breathed heavily through her nose. She kept her gaze focused on the luscious lips in front of her face. Keeping her hands behind her chair was proving to be a tremendous effort. Having her wife, naked and straddling her hips, made obeying her words a true test of will. She felt fingers easing past her pants and slipping into her panties.. Her hips jerked and surged forward. Callie's forehead rested against her own and she felt an exhalation of air when fingers met wet arousal.

"I like this." Callie said in a heavy and husky voice against her mouth. Being slightly elevated above the blonde gave Callie a sense of domination and she sighed when she felt Arizona lifting up to give her better access.

"Callie..."

Hands attempted to move from behind the chair but Callie quickly grabbed them both with her left hand and leaned forward so that her weight would keep them where she desired. Pressed fully against her lover, the tall Latina started to roll her hips into the back of her hand. The action caused Arizona to moan and jerk underneath her.

"Behave and I'll give you what you want."

Music faded and eventually died out, only to be replaced by the sounds of heaving breathing, deep moans, and guttural grunts. Arizona swallowed painfully and licked her lips again. Callie's lap dance, though certainly sexy, was not what she wanted at the time.

"Good girl." Callie husked before lowering her head and finding her partner's lips. Arizona practically assaulted Callie's mouth. The kiss was hungry, being all tongue and a wild display of open want. Unable to stop herself from her own enjoyment, Callie moaned into Arizona's mouth. Knowing her control of the situation was slipping, she turned her head slightly away from the blonde's and allowed her teeth to tug at the bottom lip between them.

A sharp gasp filled the space around them.

"Lift up." Callie instructed.

Arizona did as she was told and a very short time later, she was rewarded when she felt Callie's fingers slide into her suddenly and without warning. Pressing down, she started to move against them in a desperate search for her release.

It didn't take long for the two women to fall into a fast rhythm. Callie, still resting her weight on her knees, used her elevated position to her advantage and thrust deep inside her partner. Arizona grunted, almost painfully, with each slid of Callie's fingers inside her. Her hips were lifting off of the chair in a steady motion and soon, her hands won their freedom and she wrapped them around Callie's neck and shoulders.

Nails clawed flesh and thick black hair and lips and tongue slid across golden skin. Gasps and pants, short and nearly cut off, accosted Callie's taller woman tilted her head down and ran her nose along the side of Arizona's cheek. The action caused the blonde to turn and look at her. Once blue eyes met her own, she leaned closer and united them both in a passionate kiss.

Walls, slick and smooth, tightened around her fingers and she knew her lover was close to climax. Adjusting herself and her fingers, she moved so that her thumb could slide roughly across the blonde's clit. Within seconds, Arizona was clinging to her body desperately and her hips froze in the air as she reached her orgasm. Tight muscles spasmed around Callie's fingers and warm juices met her continued thrusts. Arizona's lips fells away from her mouth and landed close to her ear where she was able to experience her lover's pleasure quite audibly.

When the last throbbing clench died away and hips fell back to land in their chair, Callie easily removed her fingers from her girlfriend and braced her hands on the chair's arms. Smiling boastfully, she watched Arizona slowly regain the use of her body.

"That's your idea of a lap dance?" the blonde slurred in a playful tone.

"You're telling me you didn't enjoy it"?

Blue eyes opened and a lazy smirk joined her lips. "I didn't say that. You'd make a hell of a lot of money at the strip clubs though if that was your act."

Callie laughed and ran her hands through silky blonde strands. "Well, that may be true, but this particular show is for V. only and you, my little butterfly, are the only V.I.P I dance for."

Arizona leaned forward and kissed her softly several times. Her hands ran along soft, smooth, thighs and she felt her arousal start to build again.

"I think I can live with that." she said, kissing Callie again. "Now, I've got this beautiful, naked Mexican woman in my lap. Any ideas on how I should handle the situation?"

Callie grabbed one of the blonde's hands and teasingly placed it between her legs. "I think I may have a few ideas."

**-Present Day-**

Once Derek had removed the endotracheal tube, Callie had coughed a desperate fit for several minutes. A nurse, accompanying Derek, had placed a face mask over her mouth and nose and administered oxygen to help her breathe. Arizona had watched, helplessly. with her hands over her mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, Derek and the nurse finally managed to get Callie to breathe normally and on her own. The nurse placed plastic prongs just inside Callie's nose, to further help her to breathe.

"How are you feeling Dr. Torres? Good?" Derek asked.

Callie opened her mouth to speak, but the soreness in her throat stopped her. Her mouth was dry and her voice felt bound by some unseen force. Running her tongue over her lips, she swallowed painfully and attempted to answer Derek's question.

"It's okay. Don't force anything. Just blink once if you're comfortable."

A set of dark eyes found his and blinked without pause.

Arizona moved around Derek and pushed her way past the nurse. Grabbing Callie's hand, she looked down into her face. She noticed a curve form in the corner of Callie's full lips and quickly recognized it as a smile.

"Hi, gorgeous." the blonde whispered, running her left hand across her partner's cheek.

As before, Callie opened her mouth to acknowledge the greeting. Around her, Derek, Arizona, and the nurse all watched her and waited expectantly. She wished she could remember what had happened. The overpowering feelings of the unknown clawed at her relentlessly. She could not recall her last memory nor where she had been all of this time. What had happened to her, she could not say. Arizona was the only light in the darkness for her. She was the one constant in Callie's universe.

Though Daniella was lying a short ways from her, Callie could not remember her birth. In her mind, she knew only that she should still be pregnant. Time was lost to her. Action was slowed. Ability was beyond her reach.

"Ahr..." she managed to rasp.

Arizona smiled at her attempt and brought her hand to her lips. Kissing the back of her knuckles, she squeezed her hand and looked back at Derek.

"She seems to recognize you, as well as me. That's good. I'll continue to monitor her. Hopefully, she'll be able to speak soon. Page me if anything changes." he said.

Arizona nodded at Derek and watched he and the nurse head to the door and exit into the hallway. Once alone with her partner, the blonde lowered the guard rail of her bed and settled herself next to her. There was so much she wanted. Words she wanted to express. Desires she wanted to convey. Answers to questions she wanted to have answered.

Callie was awake and even though Arizona knew that to be the case, a part of her was still scared to hope. What if Callie slipped under again? What if she never regained the ability to speak? There could be complications they didn't know about. Callie could wind up confined to a wheel chair or worse.

"Calliope..." she started, but her voice cracked. She noticed her lips begin to tremble and tears start to form in her eyes.

Callie scrunched her eyebrows together when she saw the tears, slow at first, fall down her lover's face.

"I've missed you so much. It's been so hard being without you, baby."

With great effort, the Latina manged to lightly squeeze the blonde's hand. The gesture, though simple, only caused Arizona to cry more profusely.

"Ahr..." Callie tried again to speak. Coughing to clear her throat, she took a deep breath and managed to croak out, "Ahr...zuna."

Arizona laughed and smiled and her tears turned to ones of joy. She knew Callie was trying to say her name. Though the voice was rough and coarse, it was most definitely her Calliope's. The road ahead may have been shrouded in uncertainty, but presently Arizona felt lighter than she had in a long time.

"Yeah, it's me sweetheart. It's me."

Callie, once again noticing the dark circles around the blonde's eyes, frowned. Attempting to find her voice again, she licked her lips and cleared her throat.

"Yh..Yhhu...no...sleep."

The words were a weighted effort. Her mind seemed to be beyond her body's abilities. Forever, she seemed to constantly be fighting against the restraints set upon her by her condition.

Arizona looked confused for a moment. Her brain worked to understand what her partner was trying to say. Was she expressing her own desire to not 'sleep' anymore? Or, was she asking Arizona why she, herself, had not had more sleep?

Deciding to go with the latter of her thoughts, Arizona shook her head, and replied, "No, baby, I haven't been sleeping."

She must have guessed correctly at Callie's intent. Dark eyes lowered and all was quiet for a time. Arizona wondered if Callie had lost consciousness again. Fear that she had threatened to choke her and she labored to calm herself. Before her panic could completely wash over her, a question was spoken into the hush.

"Wh..y...why?"

Arizona looked up from where her hand was entwined with Callie's and noticed brown eyes on her once again. The sight nearly stopped her heart, so happy she was to see it. Callie was still with her.

She wanted to tell her partner everything. She wanted to tell her how she had been rushed to the hospital over a week ago. She wanted to tell her how frightened she'd been when she was unsure of whether or not she and Daniella would survive. She wanted to tell Callie how her father had threatened to take her back to Florida and how he'd questioned her loyalty to their marriage. She wanted to express her pain and her deep seeded sorrow that Callie could never wake up. She wanted to tell her of her fear that she would gain a daughter only to lose her closest friend and her heart.

Her depression, her despair, her anguish and her loneliness; these were the things she wanted to speak of to Callie. They were the reasons why she had been unable to sleep. They had forced nightmares into her dreams and haunted her while she was awake.

Yet, she knew she could speak of none of those things. Not now. It was too soon. Callie had only been awake for a few hours and had only begun to come into herself again. Smiling, she shrugged and sighed and met her partner's eyes.

"I...I've been here watching over you, honey. I didn't have time to sleep. I had to keep you company until you came around."

The words slammed into Callie with shocking force. They danced on the outside of her mind with an uneasy familiarity. Like their earlier spoken companions, Callie felt as though she had heard them before. Had Arizona spoken them to her at another time and place?

She couldn't say definitively. Her mind made a connection to Arizona, yet it was different. Incomplete. Otherworldly. The words were associated with her partner, but her inner self was adamant that it was not her from whom she'd heard the words before.

_"I'm just keeping you company."_

As if on a cruel replay, the sentence moved around her mind over and over again, never ceasing. Never abating. Again, Arizona came into her thoughts, but she knew the voice was different. Similar, but altogether different. Something, akin to a wind whispering against a mountain's edge, tickled at the dark, and wholly undiscovered, reaches of her soul. It was pressing, forcing itself against her in an attempt to be seen.

To be known.

_"You're not dead, CC. You're hurt and I'm keeping you company until you can get back to her. She needs looking after and I can't do that anymore."_

Words, whose origins were a mystery, came to her suddenly. She didn't know what they meant or to whom they were directed. Who was 'CC' and what person was the speaker talking of that needed looking after? The voice was that of a child, though the inflections and diction were more belonging to an adult of advanced education. The near musical like quality of the voice was reminiscent of Arizona, but the pitch was different and the tone softer.

Callie, wanting only to find answers, seemed to be beset by even more questions. Daunting questions. Arizona was still watching her, a scared, curious like glint marring her features. She felt herself becoming tired, but she fought against it.

_"Mi hi...ja_." she said, head turning to her left to look towards the bassinet she knew to be holding Daniella.

Arizona smiled and scooted closer to her. Following Callie's line of sight, she nodded her head looked back at her partner.

"Yeah, that's your daughter."

* * *

The two women stayed close, conversation remaining light and, at times, strained due to Callie's limitations. Arizona called her parents, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Torres, to inform them that Callie was awake and showing high signs of awareness.

When the first rays of morning sunlight cast away the shadows of the room, it found Arizona asleep at Callie's side. Neither woman would be able to explain how they'd ended up in their current positions or who it had been to have first fallen asleep. As the darkness of the room was slowly burned away by the ever brightening sun, it took with it the gloom and apprehension that had been present in the small space for so long.

Hope and renewal blossomed in every corner the light's rays shone.

When Amalia Torres opened the door to her daughter's room, she smiled at the sight of the small, fair haired woman who lay asleep curled up next to a very awake Callie.

_"Mami._.." Callie whispered at the sight of her mother.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

"_Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts."- Thich Nhat Hanh_

**-6 months ago-**

Arizona rolled over and stretched. Wishing to wrap an arm around her partner, she was startled from her sleep when her hand was met with cool sheets. Blue eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the darkness of the room around her.

"Callie?" she mumbled, looking around.

Sitting up, Arizona rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands and scanned the bedroom. A light to her left shown from underneath the edge of the bathroom door. The blonde rolled over and stood from her bed. Walking to the door, she hesitated for a moment.

"Calliope?"

No response.

Arizona grabbed the handle of the door and tried to enter the bathroom. It was locked.

"Callie? Open up. Are you okay?"

A sniffle caught her ear's attention. Was Callie crying? Why was the door locked? Panic wrapped around her intestines and tugged at her painfully.

"Calliope, you're scaring me. Please open the door and tell me what's wrong." Arizona begged, continuing to, futility, push at the door.

The sound of shuffles, of movement, was heard from inside the bathroom. A moment later, the door was flung open and a teary-eyed Callie looked upon Arizona. Her eyes were puffy and her lashes wet while her nose was red and runny.

Arizona's heart pounded in her chest at the sight.

"Baby, hey, come here. What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Callie sniffed, sharply, and flung her arms around the smaller woman. Her sobs shook her body and her tears ran down her face where they soon met their demise on Arizona's shoulder.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Arizona was at a loss. She could think of no cause for Callie's behavior nor any reason for her to be apologizing. Wrapping her arms around her love, she ran her hands up and down her back in a soothing gesture.

"There's no reason to be sorry. What's wrong?"

Callie fought with herself to bring her emotional turmoil under her control. Stepping away from Arizona, she wiped away at the last of the tears lining her eyes.

"Something's wrong." she said softly.

Arizona shook her head, unable to understand what her partner meant. Something was wrong? With what? With whom? From where? She needed to know what the 'something' was. Callie met her eyes and sighed raggedly.

"I'm bleeding. Something's wrong with the baby."

The blonde felt as though someone had knocked the wind from her lungs. She attempted to keep her stunned and pained reaction from showing on her face. Nodding her head, slowly, she placed a hand on Callie's shoulder and looked up at her.

"Okay, umm, h-how long have you been bleeding?" she asked in an uncertain tone.

Callie, new tears wishing to be free, replied, "A few days. It was just spotting at first. I thought it was normal."

Normal? She'd been so stupid. Why hadn't she told Arizona about her worries the first time she'd noticed something could be wrong? Why had she insisted on keeping things to herself? She knew why. She couldn't lose this baby. She couldn't take the chance that something could be wrong. They couldn't come out so lucky and conceive on the first try only to lose the child to a miscarriage so early on.

Callie refused for that to be the case. Arizona couldn't lose another child. She wouldn't allow that to happen. This child was their child. Callie had not wanted to upset Arizona with the spotting, thinking it normal with a first time pregnancy. But now, with the spotting having turned to bleeding and the condition lasting longer than a day or two, she wondered if she had placed their baby in danger by refusing to speak with Arizona about it; by waiting so long to acknowledge to herself that, yes, there could be a problem.

Arizona's throat felt tight. She swayed on her feet a moment before catching herself.

"It'll be okay, Callie. We'll go to the hospital and have an early ultrasound. It'll be okay."

Why had Callie not come to her sooner? Why had she kept something so important from her? Arizona was slightly hurt, slightly angry, that Callie had not spoken to her about something that carried so great a risk to their baby. Now was not the time to bring the issue up, though. She knew that her first and only concern in that moment was to ensure the safety of both Callie and their unborn child.

She could speak to Callie later about keeping things from her.

Callie nodded mutely and followed her into the bedroom.

"Arizona, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry. I can't lose this baby."

"Neither can I, Callie. It's my job to worry. About both of you."

Callie looked stricken and lowered her eyes to the floor. She knew her partner was right and she chastised herself for her reticent behavior. Arizona walked over to her and brought her face up with a soft hand to her chin.

"Don't keep things from me anymore, okay?"

Nodding, she replied, "Okay. I just...I just want to be able to do this for you, Arizona. I want to do it right and the thought of my body rejecting this part of you is..." She stopped and let her words die on the air.

Arizona smiled and shook her head of blonde hair. "Your body isn't rejecting anything, Callie. We'll make sure everything is okay. You're doing everything right" a beat and then "with the exception of keeping things from me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Dressing quickly, the two women rushed to Seattle Grace Mercy West.

* * *

Dr. Lucy Fields opened the door to the exam room and smiled in greeting at the two women she found anxiously waiting inside.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Fields, OBGYN."

Arizona smiled and held out her hand. The attractive female doctor shook her hand in greeting. Arizona had never seen her before and so, introduced herself and Callie.

"Arizona Robbins" the blonde said, indicating herself, "My partner, Callie Torres." she said placing a hand on Callie's shoulder.

Lucy nodded and looked from Arizona to Callie. "You've been bleeding?" she asked, taking a seat at the foot of the stirrups between Callie's legs.

"Yeah, it was just light spotting the first few days, but now it's noticeably heavier."

Dr. Fields turned on a monitor to her left and grabbed a pair of latex gloves.

"Well, there's many reasons for bleeding during pregnancy." she said, snapping the gloves on her hands. "Some of them benign and some of them indicators of something, potentially, more serious. You know what a transvaginal ultrasound is, Callie?"

Arizona squeezed her partner's shoulder and bit her lip. Callie glanced up at her before meeting her OB's gaze.

"Um, it's a pelvic ultrasound using a transducer probe."

Lucy nodded, her smile only enhancing her striking features. "That's correct. The probe sends out waves that will reflect off body structures and show an image, here, on this monitor."

"Will we be able to see the baby?" Callie asked

Lucy looked up at Arizona before returning her gaze to Callie. Flipping through the chart in her lap, she said, "It says here that you're 10 weeks along?"

Callie nodded.

"Then, yes. You'll be able to see your baby."

Arizona leaned over the top of the exam bed Callie was reclined in and smiled into her hair. Placing a hand on each of her lover's shoulders, she bit her lip and felt her heart racing in her chest.

"You may feel some slight discomfort as the probe is placed, but that's normal." Dr Fields said, readying her equipment.

Both Callie and Arizona held collective breaths as they waited for the first pictures to appear on the monitor. Callie reached up and placed a hand on top of the one Arizona had on her left shoulder. For several minutes, the monitor remained blank while Dr. Fields continued to move the probe.

Finally, an image flittered across the screen.

"There's the amniotic sac." Lucy said, still moving the transducer. The image on the screen grew and became more. "The yolk sac, placenta, and there," she said, pointing to a more pronounced section on the screen, "is your baby."

Callie felt every emotion she could possibly experience collide within her heart. The image she was staring at was small, but it was there. Her baby. Arizona's baby. Her proof that there was something good and beautiful growing inside of her was evident on the screen. Reaching out, she ran a hand over the image and released a breath. Tears stung her eyes, but the sting was welcome.

"Oh my god...look," she said, staring up at Arizona. Her partner's face was just as emotive. A smile, so taking, was spread across her lips. "It's our baby, _mariposa_."

Leaning down, Arizona kissed her forehead and nodded. "It is." she replied before pointing to a section on the bottom right of the monitor. "Is that fingers?" she asked Dr. Fields.

Lucy smiled and looked to the blonde. "Good eye. Yeah, that's your baby's fingers. At this stage, tiny nails are just starting to form."

Arizona refrained from telling the OBGYN that she and Callie both were doctors themselves. Seeing as how she had not recognized the woman, it was safe to assume that Dr. Fields was not aware of who they were. Instead, she looked down at her partner.

"See, baby. I told you you were doing everything right."

Hearing the words brought to Callie's mind the reason she and Arizona had come to the hospital in the first place. Her eyes sought the doctor at her feet.

"Why am I bleeding? Is there something wrong? Is the baby okay?"

Her questions came out in a wild rush of air. She could feel her nerves tying themselves in knots at the base of her ribs. Having seen their baby, the innocent child in her womb, caused a strong surge of protectiveness to flare within Callie's abdomen.

Lucy was quiet for a moment, her eyes continuing to search the monitor as the transducer probe moved inside her patient. Arizona patted Callie's shoulder to calm her. Waiting for an answer had never been Callie's strongest point. Minutes continued to slip by with Dr. Fields remaining silent. Adjusting a knob on a piece of equipment to her left, she turned back to look at Callie and Arizona.

"Everything appears to be fine. The placement of the placenta is something I'd like to monitor a little more closely in the coming weeks, but other than that, your baby is very healthy. Your bleeding could have been caused by nothing more than your age."

Callie looked offended and was about to express that offense when Lucy spoke again, "Not that you're old. Far from it. Women over thirty have a higher chance to spot during pregnancy. This being your first child also may be a factor. If you continue to bleed, or if the bleeding becomes heavier, let me know right away."

"We have a doctor." Callie said. "She's just in California."

Removing her gloves and tossing them into the waste bin at her feet, Dr. Fields gave the Latina an amused look and braced her hands on her knees. "Well, I'm right here. In the same city. So, I'm readily available. Did you not have your 6 week check-up?"

Arizona looked down at Callie and sighed. "Our surgical schedules have been insane lately. Callie flew to California for a brief exam, but it was mainly to ensure that there had been no complications with our procedure. She wasn't able to get a clear view of the baby on the sonogram."

"Procedure?" Lucy asked.

Callie grabbed her partner's hand and proceeded to bring her, newest doctor, up to speed on the realities of their pregnancy. She told Dr. Fields of how she was acting as a surrogate and how their child was, biologically, Arizona's.

Taking everything in, Lucy nodded once. "And you weren't spotting or bleeding at your 6 week check-up?"

"No. Addison, our doctor, said everything looked good. She just couldn't get an image on the sonogram."

Standing up, Dr. Fields looked to both women and placed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat.

"Look, you both need a doctor here that you can bring things to. I've read about Dr. Montgomery and can say nothing bad about her or her work. She's renowned for the being one of the top neo-natal surgeons in the world. Unfortunately, her being in California poses a problem. You having to fly there for every check-up runs risks in itself."

Callie bit her cheek. "I trust Addison. She's been my friend for years."

"And I can appreciate that." Lucy retorted. "How about I call Dr. Montgomery and see about the two of us collaborating? She'll be your main doctor, but I'll be here so you can bring concerns to someone close to home?"

Arizona and Callie took in the slender woman's words. She had a point. Addison couldn't fly in for every check up, especially when those check ups were only going to become more frequent as the pregnancy progressed, and they couldn't fly to California every time something came about.

This night had proven that much to be true.

"Callie, she's right. We're only two months along. Our work schedules don't allow for frequent trips to California and Addison has her own practice where she is and you know how busy she is. Having someone here at the hospital can't hurt." Arizona explained softly.

Placing a hand on her mid section, Callie rubbed tiny circles over her skin and thought about the wisdom of her partner's words. There was something about Dr. Lucy Fields, OBGYN, that she didn't like. She couldn't place what it was. Was she too young? Too pretty? Too confident?

Did those things really matter? Was she honestly going to not take sound advice based on an unknown dislike for a, seemingly, confident doctor?

Sighing, she glanced over at Lucy where she stood on her left.

"Okay, you're right. We need someone here."

"Excellent!" Lucy beamed. "I'd like to see you again in two and a half weeks, if that's okay? We'll be able to to get a better view of your baby. Have either of you heard the heart beat yet?"

Arizona and Callie looked to each other and smiled. Callie's brief check up a few weeks ago had been far too early to have experienced such a thing.

Shaking her head, the blonde replied, "No, we-we haven't."

"Well, if neither of you are in any hurry to leave, I may be able to make that happen." Dr. Fields said, smiling as she crossed her arms over her chest.

**-Present Day-**

Amalia entered the room quickly. Pausing only long enough to glance down at Daniella, who was sleeping soundly, she continued to her daughter's side. Callie's eyes followed her mother's movements until she stopped to the right of her bed.

Arizona continued to sleep on her left side, oblivious to the room's newest addition.

"Callie?" Amalia asked, tentatively, her hands running over her daughter's face.

Callie offered her a small smile and nodded her head.

"Oh, _mija_. You had us all so worried." Amalia openly admitted before leaning down and placing a tender kiss on Callie's forehead. Callie allowed her mother a moment to cry and to express her joy. She was still confused as to why she was in the hospital, but it had quickly become apparent to her that her condition, whatever it was, had been serious.

Amalia stood back up and attempted to compose herself. Looking to Arizona, she smiled.

_"She hasn't left your side."_ she confessed, but the words were spoken in Spanish.

Callie swallowed a, still slightly painful, breath and looked to the head of blonde hair lying against her shoulder. Arizona had spoken to her profusely through the night, mainly about Daniella and things of a lighter nature. Being unable to contribute to the conversation as much as she would have liked, Callie had smiled and nodded her head and spoken broken words when she'd been able.

She knew Arizona had been attempting to keep the mood light for a reason. Like so many things since she'd awakened, that reason was unknown to her. Arizona looked tired. She looked worn, as though all the world's weight had been bearing down on her slim shoulders. When Arizona's eyes had started to droop and her speech had become slow, Callie had managed a coherent sentence, a simple request she knew her lover could not deny.

_"Sleep...with me. Lie here..with...me."_ she had said.

Arizona had started to argue with her, to state that she was not tired, but Callie, knowing her partner was lying, had licked her full lips and said, simply, "_Please."_

The blonde had eventually acquiesced and lifted Callie's left arm up to settle herself against her body. Callie had turned her head to the left as best as she could and placed a soft kiss across Arizona's brow.

It had been all her lover had needed. Within minutes, Arizona had fallen asleep and Callie had been left with her questions to keep her company.

_"She...hasn't...been sleeping." _Callie replied, slowly, in Spanish to her mother. "_Or..taking...care of..her...self. Because of me?"_

Amalia, momentarily taken aback by Callie speaking to her, only smiled and sat down on the window sill behind her. Callie still appeared limited. Her voice, dry and raspy, still had difficulty forming her words and her eyes still spoke of a haze and a loss of focus.

_"Because she loves you, Callie."_

Callie was quiet for a time, allowing the words to settle around her. Arizona's easy and steady breathing next to her was soothing. She had lost a portion of life. She had lost time. One moment she had been...somewhere and then, the next, she had found herself in the hospital.

With a baby.

She knew her feeling of unease would not leave her until she was more aware about what had happened to her. Parts of her brain were still a mystery to her and the call of sleep, of letting things go, was inviting her all the time to join it.

_"Mama, why...am...here? What...happened?"_

Just as Amalia was about to answer, Carlos appeared in the doorway across the room. Upon seeing his daughter awake, he smiled happily and walked over to stand next to his wife.

"_Mija..."_

"Dad...dy"

Carlos nodded his head and brushed Callie's hair out of her face. Arizona, still asleep at her lover's side, was unaware of what was happening around her.

"Calliope, listen to me, _mija._ I want to take you home. You'll receive better care, I assure you. Do you understand, baby?"

Amalia stood up and pulled Carlos away from their daughter. Callie's brow was furrowed in dismay. Her hear monitor sped up and beeped more rapidly, an outward sign of how she felt about her father's words.

"Carlos, I thought you were going to drop this! Callie is awake. There's no point in taking her anywhere."

"She'll recover faster at home, Amalia." Carlos countered.

"St-stop."

Both Carlos and Amalia turned around to the weak and strained voice of their daughter. Callie was breathing with greater difficulty and her face was drawn up in a display of displeasure.

"I...stay here. _Familia_...is...here. Leave me...with...m-m-my...butter...fly."

Carlos, shrugging his wife's hand away from his shoulder walked over to Callie and shook his head.

"We're your family, Calliope. I need to protect you. You'll understand when you're feeling better."

"N-no." Callie replied firmly. "I...have...to...protect my family...Daddy. I...have to..p-protect Ar...i...zona and Dani. You...don't get to...m-m-make...the decision...for...me."

Carlos was livid. Why couldn't anyone understand that he was only doing what he knew what right? He was trying to look after his daughter and ensure that she received the best possible medical care?

He was about to express as much when the door opened again. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins entered quietly and closed the door behind them. Deidre smiled and greeted everyone before walking over and peering down into Daniella's bassinet. Her eyes soon found Callie's and the smile on her face grew.

Not knowing of the tension in the room, Deidre gently picked up her granddaughter and walked over to call a nurse. Notcing her own daughter fast asleep next to Callie, she smiled.

"Callie, I think your baby girl needs to be fed. Learn to feed her early that way she's not waking you up demanding it."

Callie smiled and watched her mother-in-law bring Daniella closer to her. She could feel the frenzy her father's words had caused fading away from her at the thought of being able to feed Daniella.

Amalia and Carlos took a seat in the window sill, while Daniel took it upon him self to sit in the chair next to Callie's bed. Surrounded by so many people, Callie felt more like herself than she had since first waking up in the hospital. Arizona's gentle snoring and easy breathing next to her only enhanced that feeling.

Despite her father wanting to take her away, her morning was staring off beautifully.


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32:**

**A/N**: I really have no idea where all of the inspiration for these updates is coming from. I guess I'm making up for the huge gap I had in updates a short while ago. As with the last chapter, there's plenty of sweet fluff in this one, as well as a new plot development. I had the idea a while ago, but when I brought in Dr. Fields, I knew the time to implement it was now. :DD Hope everyone enjoys. Comments=love.

**-5 months ago-**

Callie and Arizona, after hearing their child's heartbeat a month before, had requested a recording of the precious sound to take home with them. Callie had played the recording every night since that day while Arizona had lain beside her in bed, a fair skinned hand on her stomach. Dr. Lucy Fields, though a little overly confident in her own abilities in Callie's opinion, was nonetheless a thorough and meticulous doctor who kept them well informed on their unborn child's development.

Lucy, at their last exam, had asked to see them again when Callie was 12 weeks along. She had informed them, at that time, that they would be able to get a clearer view of their baby.

As Callie lay in bed, her smile happy and content as she listened to the fast thump, thump, thump from the heartbeat recording, her thoughts conjured up fair and wonderful images of what the little human, steadily growing inside of her, would look like. Would they be able to see Arizona in him/her at all or would the dominant Latino features win out? How much would the baby weigh at birth? Would they have a little boy or a little girl with her mother's dimples?

A slight pain intruded upon her thoughts, it's sharp sting cutting behind her eyes. A headache. Her second headache this week. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the ache gaining in intensity and, instead, refocus her thoughts on happier things.

Arizona walked in the room and noticed the pained furrow buried deep between Callie's brow. Around her, the wondrous sound of her baby's heartbeat filled her ears. Walking over to the bed she shared with her lover, she leaned over and attempted to kiss the furrow away.

Callie opened her eyes and smiled. "You're home." she stated simply.

Sitting down on the bed, Arizona replied, "Yeah, and I made sure to clear my schedule for in the morning so I can go with you to your appointment."

As the words left her mouth, she traced her fingers, lightly, along the outside of Callie's jaw. Her partner, immediately, grabbed her hand and held it close.

"You have another headache?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer.

"It's not that bad."

Arizona pursed her lips and looked down at the woman she loved. Rather or not to push the subject was something she couldn't decide on. Stalling for time, she moved the hand she had against Callie's face and trailed it down to her abdomen. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"You're just starting to show." she said softly.

A harrumph from Callie came to her ears. "Are you saying I'm getting fat?"

Meeting soulful brown eyes, she shook her head. "Never. I'm saying you're getting more beautiful."

Callie tried to keep her deep blush from spreading to her face, but it was an exercise in what was utterly futile. Grinning like a love struck fool, she reached out for the woman above her. Arizona leaned down, her hand still resting against Callie's stomach, and kissed full, wet lips. A series of shorter, but no less loving, kisses followed before the blonde pulled away.

"We'll tell Dr. Fields about your headaches tomorrow. Just to rule out the possibility of anything more serious."

Callie, still enjoying the taste of her lover's kiss, nodded slowly. "Okay."

Arizona stood from the bed and walked to the dresser behind her, removing her clothing as she went. Callie watched, a less than innocent smile forming on her lips. As the blonde replaced her jeans with a pair of pink shorts and her v-neck top with a Powder Puff Girls tee, the Latina broke the silence with her next words.

"Addison is flying in tomorrow. She wants to be present for this exam."

Arizona, running a brush through her hair, smiled in surprise.

"Really? Wow, awesome. It can't hurt to have two doctors, well four if you count us, present."

Callie adjusted herself in their bed so that her partner could pull the sheets and comforter back and lie next to her. Around them, still, the comforting cadence of their baby's heartbeat connected with their souls.

Arizona, propping herself up on her right elbow, reached out with her left hand and brushed her fingers underneath Callie's top. Her lover's skin was warm and, if she used her imagination, she could convince herself that she felt the baby moving.

"Arizona?"

Callie's voice was soft and a tad bit uncertain.

"Hmm?" the blonde replied, fingers still tracing unknown patterns across inviting skin.

"Is it supposed to feel like this?"

Arizona sighed and looked up to meet Callie's dark, and shy, eyes.

"Like what, baby?" she asked, curious as to the nature of her love's question.

Callie threw her hands in the air, above her stomach, in a shrug like gesture and sighed deeply. Shaking her head, she stared at the ceiling and attempted to find the words she needed to express her meaning.

"I don't-just-like...like this. Magical, I guess. Goofy, happy, the-world-is-my-oyster-and-I'm- pregnant-so-anything-is-possible...feeling."

Arizona smiled, a smile she reserved just for Callie, and her eyes burned brightly to complete the gesture. Bringing her left hand up to Callie's face, she turned her head towards her own so their eyes could meet.

"Yes." was all she said.

Callie, her smile mirroring her partner's, wrapped her fingers around Arizona's hand and kissed her palm. Keeping their fingers entwined, she looked into blue eyes.

"I'm supposed to be a bad ass, you know? I'm a rockstar who wears dark nail polish and too much mascara. I'm the takes-no-bull from anybody girl. I'm not the sappy, cries at anything person."

Arizona remained silent, her eyes silently telling her love to continue.

"But, this feeling? It's like nothing else, Arizona. It's a feeling of accomplishment and the baby isn't even here yet. It's not like my other accomplishments. Like when I graduated or joined the Peace Corp or got into med school. It doesn't feel the same as when I attended my White Coat Ceremony or completed my residency. This is a baby. A little person. A new soul in the world."

Arizona squeezed her hand and pushed herself closer to her body so she could place a soft kiss against her jaw. Still, she said nothing and let Callie express her feelings.

"I've wanted a baby for a long time. It wasn't until I met you that that feeling became more of a need and less of a want. I could never have imagined that the experience would feel like this. When we saw the baby..." her voice trailed off and she, once again, looked to the ceiling for support, "it was...I mean, there were little fingers and the heartbeat?"

Arizona smiled and nodded her head. She knew what Callie was trying to convey. Everything her partner was saying, she herself had experienced years before.

"It's so fast, _mariposa._ I love this baby already and I still have six months to go until I get to meet them." Callie said, an unbelieving laugh ending her statement.

"Welcome to motherhood, Calliope."

Laughter bubbled up from Callie's throat and she looked to her left where Arizona was leaning her head in her hand, smiling beautifully at her.

"You're feeling what you're supposed to be feeling and that sense of awe and wonder that's making you all gushy? It's only going to get worse. Your bad ass days may be coming to an end."

Callie smiled at her lover's playful words. Arizona moved her hand back to her stomach and laid her head against her shoulder. Her headache, though still evident, was easier to ignore with Arizona by her side.

Six months. She just had to wait six months.

**-Present Day-**

Nurse Matkins entered the room and was taken aback briefly at the number of people gathered in the small space. An older Hispanic couple, whom she assumed to be Callie's parents, sat together in the window sill farthest away from her. The man looked indignant and his shoulders were tense. It was obvious that he was upset about something. Next to him, the striking, dark skinned woman, her hair full and wavy, attempted to calm him with a well placed hand to a shoulder or a word whispered in an ear.

Sitting in a chair, tall and straight, was a well mannered older man. His hair was neatly cut and his eyes, stormy and piercing, seemed to take in everything transpiring around him with clipped efficiency. Matkins deduced that the man must be Dr. Robbins father. The woman standing on the right of Callie's bed was pretty with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. The way she held herself spoke of a care-free attitude and a possible dry wit. In the woman's arms, feet kicking out and hands waving about, was a beautiful baby girl.

Dark hair, lighter than those of full Hispanic blood in the room, curled from underneath the hood on her head. Her skin, though glowing with a golden glow, was lighter than Callie's but no less envy worthy.

Nurse Matkins noticed a sleeping form curled up in, what looked to be, an uncomfortable position next to Dr. Torres. All eyes turned to her as she completed her survey of the room. Smiling bashfully, she walked closer to the gathering.

"Good morning!" she said in a cheery voice. "Someone requested a bottle for baby Torres-Robbins?"

Deidre, holding Daniella against her in one hand, reached out with the other for the bottle. Once the bottle had been passed from her hands, Matkins looked to Callie.

"Dr. Torres, how are you feeling?"

Callie, distracted by the sight of her daughter, who was even more perfect in the light of day, swallowed and cleared her throat.

"G-good." she replied shortly, her gaze never wavering from the tiny form of her baby.

Nurse Matkins nodded her head. "Dr. Shepard comes on in about an hour. He'll be checking in on you first thing. In the mean time, if you need anything, feel free to let me know."

Callie nodded, her only acknowledgment of the nurses words and continued to look at Daniella. Deidre was readjusting her in her arms and a frown was starting to appear on her angelic face.

As the nurse left the room, Daniella's displeasure at being awakened and moved around finally made itself known. A sharp cry left her tiny lungs and Callie's heart jumped into her throat at the sound of it.

At her side, Arizona jumped and sat up quickly, her hair wild about her head and her eyes wide, though unfocused.

"What happened? Is she okay?" she slurred, pushing blonde hair away from her face.

Her vision cleared, rather quickly, and her eyes alerted her to the fact that she was not alone. Her mother looked down at her with a funny smile on her face. Daniella cried in her arms. Behind her mother, Mr. and Mrs. Torres sat in the sill of the window.

She realized that she must have fallen asleep. Though her body thanked her for the rest, her mind reeled with the possibility that Callie could have lost awareness again. Glancing down, she was relieved to see a pair of soft brown eyes looking up at her.

"Calliope?" she asked dumbly, a small smile on her face.

Callie breathed steadily and deeply and smiled back at her.

"M-morning, baby." she said in a, still, raspy voice.

Arizona exhaled sharply, yet happily, and leaned down to kiss her forehead, her nose and her chin. She cared little whether or not her display upset or offended Carlos. Sitting back up, she looked around the room at the faces watching her.

"Hi, Mama," looking behind her, "Daddy."

Her eyes landed on Amalia and she smiled, "Mr. and Mrs. Torres."

Deidre smiled and looked at her daughter. "We were just about to feed Daniella her breakfast." she said, easily passing the, still quite fussy, infant to her.

Arizona sat up straighter and took her daughter into her arms. Callie's sharp inhale caught her attention.

"Let...me...Ari." the Latina asked.

Daniel immediately stood up and walked around to join his wife who helped in propping Callie up against her pillows so that she was in more of a sitting position. Her body protested at the change in elevation, so long it had remained prone. Once she was sitting up, Arizona scooted next to her and placed Daniella against her chest. Deidre held her securely while Arizona placed her arms around her partner's shoulders before adding her own hands to their child for support.

Callie, her hands and arms moving more freely, yet still sluggish and weak, held her new baby close to her and allowed her tears to fall without interruption. It felt amazing to be holding the little life she had carried. Up close, Daniella's features were more pronounced and vivid and the way her eyes looked at her was nearly too much.

The cries from moments before ceased and, with the exception of collective 'awws' from the grandparents, the room was quiet.

"Oh my...God." Callie managed to whisper.

Arizona's hands, underneath her own, helped her to support Daniella's weight. Deidre passed the bottle to her daughter and the blonde helped Callie to place it into Daniella's mouth. After a bit of trying, Daniella finally caught the nipple in her mouth and quickly started sucking. Her eyes, a cloudy blue, started to close while her hands moved around the body of the bottle.

Callie was mesmerized. She couldn't take her eyes away from the perfection in her arms. Even though she couldn't remember giving birth nor the reasons for her stay in the hospital, feeding her child for the first time was a startling affirmation of her existence. Arizona smiled, her own tears falling, and leaned her head against Callie's.

"You did good, Calliope." she said, running her nose along her lover's neck. "You did good."

**-5 months ago-**

Addison had been waiting for them in the exam room when they arrived for their appointment. The tall red head had greeted them warmly, expressed her happiness for them and asked a few questions about the pregnancy. After Lucy had joined them, the exam had gotten underway.

The sonogram had, indeed, given Callie and Arizona a clearer view of their body. Addison had pointed out an area at one point and told them it was their baby's ears. Both women had been touched beyond words seeing their child, once again, on the monitor.

Callie had told Addison and Lucy of her headaches and, after checking her blood pleasure, Addison had informed her of it being a little high. She'd advised Callie to keep the stress in her life to a minimum and to take a generic painkiller if the headaches became too painful. The placement of the placenta was still something Lucy, and now Addison, were keen to keep an eye on, but they both gave Callie a clean bill of health.

Dr. Fields printed off a picture from their sonogram to add to their heartbeat recording. After the exam was completed, Addison had hugged Callie, as well as Arizona, and bounded off to the cafeteria.

A short time after leaving the exam room, Arizona found herself reviewing a patient's chart at the Peds floor nurses' station.

"I need the Kyson chart." a familiar voice said to her left.

Glancing over, Arizona was met with a wide smile from Dr. Fields.

"Dr. Fields." she said in greeting before returning her attention to her own chart.

Lucy, taking the file she'd requested, turned her back to the counter and leaned her elbows on top of the station behind her.

"Arizona." she said in her usual dry tone.

The blonde, feeling eyes on her, glanced back up and found Lucy smiling a, slightly unsettling, smile her way. The other woman's eyes looked her over before meeting her face again.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Arizona asked, unsure as to what Dr. Fields behavior could indicate.

Shaking her head of curly blonde hair, Lucy's smile widened and she said, "No. I was just...it's nothing."

"What's nothing?"

Leaning closer, Lucy bit her lip and whispered, "I was just thinking about how pretty your baby's going to be."

Arizona, once again, turned her face to her left. Lucy was close to her, closer than she had thought, and her eyes were melting into her own.

"Umm, well, thank-you, Dr. Fields." she returned, trying to express her gratitude while, at the same time, taking a step away from the other woman.

Lucy stepped away from her and collected her chart. "It's kind of a given, you know? With you as her mother."

With that, the tall, young, OBGYN walked away and left Arizona feeling more than confused as to the hidden meaning lacing the words she'd just heard.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

**A/N:** Callie's pregnancy moves along and Arizona continues to be confused by Lucy's comments. More sugar and fluff and baby bonding are in store for the present day events and Callie struggles with feelings of deja vu. As always, I'd like to thank everyone who reads/comments. This story has surpassed 'Control' in terms of length and I'm grateful to those who have continued to enjoy this story after all these months.

**-Present Day-**

"Mama, please. We insist."

Deidre sighed, still looking reluctant, before taking the set of keys from Arizona's grasp.

"Bells, your father and I can stay at the hotel. We have this long."

"No, you can stay at our house. I'm not going to have you both paying for that room every night when Callie and I have plenty of space. Please, Mama."

Wanting to argue, but knowing well her daughter's stubborn streak, Deidre nodded and resigned herself to Arizona's wishes.

"We'll be by early tomorrow." she said in acceptance.

Arizona, shoving her hands into the loose pockets of her pants, smiled and nodded herself.

"Okay, make yourselves at home, please. Aria is flying in tomorrow. She's been in Italy and just got word of everything."

Deidre placed her hand on Arizona's shoulder and ducked her head to meet her daughter's eyes.

"Are you okay? I know how hard this has been on you."

"I'm fine, Mama."

Sighing, Deidre turned to Daniel and passed the keys in her hand to him. "I'll meet you in the car."

The Col., knowing both of his girls well, hugged Arizona and quietly left. Once the sound of his footsteps had retreated, Deidre turned back to her daughter and gave her a stern look.

"Arizona Renee, don't give me that bull. You think you hide everything so well, and maybe you do with other people, but I'm not people. I'm your mother. You've not left this hospital, let alone this room, in over a week."

"What else could I have done?" Arizona shot back, slightly upset.

"You could have talked to someone. To me. Your father. You know, I was stunned when you called and told me you and Callie were going to start a family. After Hannah-"

"Mama, please, don't bring her in-"

Deidre turned to face Arizona fully and crossed her arms over her chest.

_"After_ Hannah," she continued, unperturbed, "I was worried that you would never find happiness again. But, you did. In Callie. She kept you sane when you were slipping. She grounded you and brought you joy. I'm thankful to her for that."

Arizona was silent. Chancing a glance, she peered up at her mother. In a shaky voice, she said, "I am, too, Mama."

"But, she also gave you something else, Bells. She gave you a daughter. I know it must have been hard. Sharing the experience with her. It brought back memories of your own. You can't tell me you didn't think of Hannah during the pregnancy"

"Of course I did!" Arizona said in a, slightly, raised voice. "I thought of her everyday. I _still_ think of her everyday."

Deidre's face softened. "Then why didn't you ever pick up the phone and call me?"

"Mama, I can't let the past dictate the course of my future. I was happy, so happy, while Callie was pregnant. Watching her as the months went by, listening to her excitement, knowing it was a part of me she was carrying...I was happy, Mama. You were, too."

"You've always thought of everyone else first, Arizona. It's either your most endearing quality, or your greatest detriment." Deidre said, smiling. "I _was_ happy. I _am_ happy. A piece of me has been missing since Hannah died. She was...she was special."

Arizona swallowed painfully as her emotions attempted to rise to the surface. Lowering her gaze to the floor, she studied her feet. "Yeah, she was, Mama."

Seconds turned into minutes with neither woman saying anything. Nurses and doctors moved around the hallway they stood in, all going about their work quickly and efficiently. Deidre was the first to break the silence.

"You were taken back there, weren't you?"

Arizona looked up at her mother in confusion. "Where?"

"To the hospital, all those years ago, when Hannah was sick. Being here, with Callie, like you have this past week, it took you back to those days, didn't it?"

Motherly intuition could be such a nuisance at times. Arizona, at first, thought to deny what her mother was saying. She thought to avoid the question and, so too, avoid the situation it brought with it. Yet, she knew her mother was correct. Side stepping the issue would only prolong matters.

"And what if it did? It's my fault Callie's here!" the blonde said in a harsh whisper.

"Bells, you know that's not tr-"

"_I _talked her into having a baby. _I_ rushed things."

Deidre shook her head and placed her hands on Arizona's shoulders. For as long as she could remember, her daughter had always thought to take blame, whenever it was around, upon herself. Guilt, rather or not it was warranted, had always seemed to be her constant companion. It had always amazed Deidre how Arizona could rationally and logically approach other's insecurities and worries, yet, when it came to her own, her clear cut way of thinking always seemed to abandon her.

"Listen to me, right now. You have _got_ to stop this, Arizona. You're not responsible for chance and fate. You can't control the way life unfolds. Sometimes good things happen and sometimes less than good things happen. Carrying around the burden of guilt will only consume you in the end. You didn't force Callie to have a baby. She wanted a child as much as you did. You didn't cause the complications or the eclampsia. She is alive, Arizona. She's awake and she is _alive_, honey."

Tears, heavy and large, slipped over Arizona's bottom lids and fell to the floor between her feet. Sniffing, she quickly wiped a hand across her nose but kept her eyes downcast.

"You know what else, Bells?" Deidre asked, her voice taking on a, noticeably, different quality.

Looking up with wet eyes, the blonde replied, "What?" in a small voice.

Deidre stepped closer and her smile grew. "You have a very new baby and she is beautiful. She was born nearly a month early, but she is healthy and whole. Today, you helped Callie feed her for the first time and I know, if Hannah were here, she would be crazy about her little sister."

Arizona looked up at the ceiling to keep the lump in her throat from cutting off her air supply. Locking her jaw, she blinked rapidly against the tears she could feel wanting to be released.

Deidre stepped closer and took her into a silent embrace. Arizona remained ridged for but a moment before moving her hands and wrapping her arms around her mother. Halting sobs and cleansing tears soon followed. She cried for Hannah. She cried for nearly losing Callie and Daniella. She cried for herself. Deidre said nothing. Her body, at some point, began to sway softly from one side to the other.

Finally, Arizona stepped away and wiped at the mess her tears had made of her face. Wrapping her arms around herself, she nodded and swallowed the rest of her emotions.

"Thank-you, Mama."

"Don't thank me, yet, dear. You haven't seen my bill." the older Robbins' replied in a dry tone, illiciting a small chuckle from Arizona. Her lips were pulled back into a tight smile.

"I've got to get going. Your father doesn't like to wait. Go be with your family, Bells. Everything is going to be okay."

Arizona hugged her, tightly, once more and watched her walk away. For several minutes after the form of her mother had faded from view, she remained in the hallway and attempted to compose herself.

Behind her, she knew Callie and Daniella were waiting for her. Her family.

**-4 months ago-**

"You're 16 weeks today." Arizona said, coming up behind Callie who stood at a nurses' station filling out a chart.

"Hey!" Callie replied in surprise before turning around to properly greet her partner.

Arizona kissed her lips tenderly and bounced back on the balls of her feet. Her child like smile was bright and her dimples were deep in her cheeks.

"You weren't in bed this morning when I got up. I was going to make you breakfast in bed."

Callie smiled and laid the pen in her hand on top of the chart she was resting on the nurses' station. Placing a hand in the front pocket of the blonde's white lab coat, she tugged at the material with just enough force to bring them closer together.

"I'm sorry, babe. I was paged early this morning. You were so cute I didn't want to wake you."

The smaller woman pouted for a moment. "Well, today's a special day." she intoned.

Placing her hands on either side of Arizona's neck, Callie cocked her head to the side and regarded her lovingly.

"What's so special about today?" she asked.

"Well," Arizona started, "today is four weeks since your last ultrasound and that makes it only two more weeks until your 18th week appointment."

She ended the words with a nod of her head, the look on her face indicating that she was rather proud of herself.

Callie could only smile and shake her head. Before she could respond to her lover's words, the woman in question jumped suddenly as a thought came to her.

"Oh! It's also the start of your second trimester!" she added just as happily.

"You're so adorable." Callie stated in an awed voice, her eyes sparkling as they beheld the love of her life.

Arizona only smiled. Stepping closer to Callie, she continued their conversation. "We should be able to learn the sex of the baby at your next appointment. If you wanted to know."

Running her fingers, idly, across the expanse of the blonde's white coat, Callie smiled and nodded at the words spoken. "I'd like that, _mariposa_. We can start really discussing names and trying to decorate the upstairs bedroom."

Nodding her head to signal her agreement, Arizona was about to respond when Bailey entered the floor with a flourish.

"Torres! Your pager works better_ if_ it's turned on! You're needed in exam room 5."

Callie looked down at the device on her hip and realized she must have accidentally turned it off.

"Duty calls." she said, glancing back up at an amused Arizona.

"Go be awesome. I'll meet you for lunch later if you have the time."

Callie quickly made her way over to Bailey and the two of them departed from Arizona's line of sight. Her morning was slow, having already completed her rounds and not having a surgery scheduled until late afternoon. Turning around, she thought to retreat to her office, hoping, possibly, to finally reorganize her desk.

A body colliding with her own startled her.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was there!" she exclaimed.

"It's fine. I can't think of too many other people I would prefer to have run into me." a voice said.

Before she'd finished brushing her hair out of her face, Arizona knew who it was she had bumped into.

Lucy Fields.

The woman was a mystery to her. Since her initial comment the month before, Arizona had found herself at a constant loss as to the other woman's intentions. Her comments, having not lessened in any way, were laced in a light innuendo that could be taken as a come on or something completely innocent.

At times, Arizona was certain that her partner's OBGYN was engaging in overt and blatant flirting and then, at other times, she would see the young woman batting her eyelashes at Alex Karev and end up feeling silly for her earlier assumptions. Callie, as of yet, knew nothing of Arizona's predicament and, for that, the blonde was thankful. She didn't want her partner, who was already having to watch her blood pressure, to worry and stress over a situation that was still so questionable.

Standing back, fully, and pressing at the invisible wrinkles in her clothing, Arizona smiled and looked at Lucy.

"Well, good to know I didn't offend you. I really am sorry."

Dr. Fields smiled back at her, her eyes taking on a devilish quality. "Oh, no. You didn't offend. Quite the opposite in fact."

She was flirting! How dare she! Didn't she know how crazy and head over heels in love with Callie she was? Was she not aware of their bond? For crying out loud! They had a baby on the way! If Lucy was flirting, which Arizona was really coming to think, then her behavior was completely unprofessional. But, if she wasn't, if she was just an overly nice person, then saying something would only make her look the fool and, possibly, unprofessional herself.

"Okay then!" Arizona said with a tad bit too much cheer. "I'll just let you get back to...whatever you were doing...nice to see you."

With her words barely having left her lips, the smaller woman stepped around Dr. Fields and started heading towards the elevator. She was nearly at their blessed doors when the woman in question stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"_Very_ nice to see you, too, Arizona." Lucy said, her hand lingering far too long and her voice dropping to an octave that indicated an interest that was, most surely, not platonic.

Looking down at the hand on her shoulder, Arizona bit the inside of her cheek and glanced up at Lucy. Gone from her face was any evidence of a happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Dr. Fields." she said, in way of departure. Her eyes were hardened and her voice no longer carried it's melodic tune.

Turning away, quickly, she called for the elevator and attempted to ignore the woman behind her.

Off to the side, behind the nurses' station and out of view, Mark Sloan watched the display with avid interest.

**-Present Day-**

Derek had come to see Callie earlier in the day. Both sets of parents, as well as Arizona, had gone to the cafeteria for a light breakfast. All the while, Arizona's thoughts had been with Callie. Derek had told her that he planned to do an M.R.I and a cat scan to try and get a better idea of Callie's current condition.

The time spent had trickled by slowly, like the larger grains of sand in an hourglass.

Upon her return to Callie's room, Arizona had been happy to find her partner back from her tests. The two of them had spoken softly about Daniella and other brighter topics. When Derek had returned, he'd informed the both of them that Callie, apart from suffering from short-term memory loss, was showing promising signs for a full recovery. He'd told them that he didn't think Callie would experience any lasting effects of her ordeal.

Mobility, he'd told them, was going to be the largest hurdle to overcome. The two of them had taken the news somberly and thanked him for his continued effort. Derek had pulled Arizona off to the side and spoken with her briefly before departing their company and wishing them both well.

The day had been spent with both of their parents and Daniella. Everyone tried to keep their spirits high and their attitudes positive. Callie had dozed off a few times, each brief slumber causing Arizona to hold her breath until she awakened again. In the afternoon, Addison and Mark and Teddy had stopped by, all wishing to gauge for themselves the nature of their friends situation.

Addison had taken Daniella for a check-up shortly before Mr. and Mrs. Robbins were planning to take their leave. Carlos and Amalia had left earlier in the day; Carlos still sore over his daughter's inability to see reason. Amalia had informed Callie that her sister, Aria, was hoping to be in the country the following morning.

When Addison had brought baby Daniella back to their room, Deidre and Daniel had thought to return to their hotel but Arizona's insistence that they stay at hers and Callie's home had sparked a conversation neither Arizona or Deidre had been expecting.

Standing in the hallway outside of Callie's room, Arizona allowed the day's events to wash over her. She felt as if she were walking in a dream. A waking dream.

Callie was awake. Her mind seemed unable to fully process and accept that fact. For the past week, she'd fought against the harsh chance that Callie could be gone from her forever. She'd tried to hold out hope and think only of looking into brown eyes again.

Now that her partner was awake, Arizona was overcome with emotion. Which emotion was the question she couldn't find an answer to. She knew she felt relief and overwhelming joy and gratitude, yet, at the same time, a part of her was afraid that she would wake up and find only that she had been dreaming. That Callie was still in a coma and she was still sitting by her side, worried.

She's not in a coma any longer! she yelled at herself. She's awake and she knows who you are. She can speak and think and respond to a number of cues. She found you again and she's waiting on you!

Her inner voice was loud in her ears. It left little to no room for argument. Callie wasn't Hannah. She wasn't going to lose her in a hospital. Daniella wasn't Hannah. Despite her rather hectic and traumatic entrance into the world, Dani was alive and progressing well. Addison had found no problems so far with her early birth. Her daughter was alert and healthy.

Sighing, Arizona looked into the room and watched as her partner curled and stretched her fingers. She watched her attempt to lift her arm and hold it away from her body. Lying in a bassinet next to Callie, Daniella laid on her back with a pacifier in her mouth.

Arizona smiled when she watched Callie turn her head in Daniella's direction. Her lover's eyes were soft and moist and a smile appeared on her full lips. Her left hand moved in a halting motion and ran along the clear plastic separating her from Daniella.

Yes, her inner voice spoke up again, your family is perfect. They're here with you.

Opening the door slowly, Arizona smiled shyly when Callie glanced up at her.

"Hey, baby." she whispered across the room.

Callie, resting her fingers against the smooth plastic around Dani, responded back, "Hi. Everything...okay?"

Arizona rubbed her palms together and walked over to join her family. Standing over Daniella, she smiled when she noticed her baby looking in Callie's direction. She knew Daniella, with her limited vision, could not make out her other mother's form or shape from where she was, but still, the sight was adorable to her and seemed to calm her inner turmoil.

"Yeah, everything is fine, honey. I just had a harder time convincing my parents to leave their hotel."

Callie swallowed and regarded her suspiciously. She watched Arizona run gentle fingers over Daniella's chest and tummy.

"You're a...terrible liar...Arizona."

A small chuckle joined the room and Callie's spirits lifted at the sound of it.

"Yeah, that may be, but still," Arizona looked up and met Callie's eyes, "everything is fine for now. There's nothing you need to be worrying about."

Callie let the comment lie. For several minutes, she watched her partner interact with their daughter. Arizona smiled, a kind of smile Callie was quickly falling in love with, and spoke softly and sweetly to Daniella. The sight was perfect to her. She could could think of nothing else in the world that could make it better.

"She's so...small." she said, finally resuming their conversation.

Arizona looked up at her and smiled sadly. Picking up Daniella as gently as she could, she moved the bassinet aside and sat down on the bed next to her.

"She was born a month early." she started. "She weighed five pounds and eight ounces and was sixteen inches long."

Callie shook her head at the information. A month early? Not even six pounds? Her heart constricted in her chest.

"Is she okay?" she asked in a scared voice.

The thought of anything, anything at all, being wrong with their daughter caused a painful spasm to wrack her body.

Arizona looked up to meet her eyes. Passing Daniella into her care, she scooted next to her and smiled. Dani rested against Callie's chest with little help from Arizona.

"She has ten fingers and ten toes." the blonde said, her fingers caressing her child's face. "Her little heart is beating and her lungs are processing oxygen. She has a healthy appetite and well, you've heard her cry, so you know she's got a nice set of lungs."

Callie smiled as she listened to Arizona speak. She knew her partner was telling her everything was fine with their daughter.

Arizona moved and gently removed the mittens covering Daniella's small hands. Callie's heart pounded joyfully when she saw the tiniest fingernails she'd ever seen. Dani's hands and fingers moved around her pacifier quickly, having noticed the restriction of her mittens was gone.

"She has no physical hindrances." the blonde said, allowing Daniella to grasp her finger. "In short, Calliope, she is did nothing wrong, baby."

At the admission, Callie let her tears fall. Daniella's amazing cloudy blue eyes seemed to penetrate right to the very essence of her soul. Arizona leaned forward and slowly removed the tiny cap on top of her head. Dark brown hair, nearly black like Callie's, made an appearance.

Callie, with a little help from Arizona, reached up and ran her fingers, as gently as she could, over the crown of Daniella's head.

"She's soft." Callie said, her voice hitched and awed.

"Yeah, she is." Arizona replied, her own fingers brushing down the slope of her daughter's adorable button nose.

Callie laughed suddenly. She was holding her baby, her little girl who looked so much like Arizona. She felt her partner lean into her and rest her head against her own.

"She looks...like you,_ mariposa_."

_Mariposa._

Arizona smiled, her soul feeling lighter the longer Callie was awake, and kissed the side of her love's head.

Callie, unable to take her eyes away from the wonderful little creation in her arms, continued speaking. Her smile was bright and radiated it's grace across her face.

"You have...strong genes...Arizona." To Dani, she whispered, "_Eres tan...perfecta, mija._"

As the words left her mouth, she was overcome with an immense feeling of deja vu. She felt as if she had spoken the words before. They held a haunting quality she couldn't place.

Why were the words so familiar and why did she feel as if she were forgetting something of massive importance?


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

_"The general function of dreams is to try to restore our psychological balance by producing dream material that re-establishes, in a subtle way, the total psychic equilibrium."_-**CARL JUNG, Man and His Symbols**

**-Present Day-**

Three days after Callie had finally awakened from her coma, she found her condition to be a slow work towards progress. Derek had monitored her closely, testing her dexterity and her ability to wiggle her fingers and toes. He asked her various questions on a vast array of topics and subjects to further deduce whether or not she had, or showed, any signs of complication.

For the most part, Callie was able to answer every question Derek posed. From inquiries about medicine to those about her life and her past, Callie had, not only answered correctly, but also elaborated on several key points to demonstrate her level of comprehension.

However, when it came to questions about the weeks leading up to her incident, Callie had drawn an insurmountable blank. She could recall nothing. Derek and, especially, Arizona had not gone into detail or imparted unto her their great wisdom. When she asked Arizona to just tell her what happened, the blonde's face would draw up, a shadow covering her eyes, and she would repeat words that Derek had said too often.

_"You need to figure out everything on your own. Your mind will sort through the events at it's own pace."_

In the end, Callie had had no choice but to resign herself to the fact that she would receive no answers to her questions. The knowledge left her frustrated, but not nearly as so as that of her limited mobility. Strength had been steadily returning to her hands, arms, and fingers. Grasping items, though still a little touch and go, was something she was able to do with, mostly, high success. Feeding Daniella, the bottle no longer a burden, was even more fulfilling. Arizona still remained close during those times, but she was no longer needed to support their daughter's small weight.

The desire to move, to walk around, to help herself, was a growing ache the longer she was awake. She had yet to see the physical therapist that Derek had assured her would be overseeing her reclamation of her mobility; his reasoning being that he didn't wish to overwhelm her.

In the brief span of time since her waking, Callie had been able to see the toll the events had, and still were having, on her partner. Arizona still walked as if a person carrying a heavy load. Her eyes, though not as dark as the first night Callie had seen her, were still not the shining, bright blue they should have been. She spoke to Callie, cared for her endlessly, bonded with Daniella, and made herself as available as possible, yet, Callie knew, deep down, that her lover was placing distance between them.

Whether or not that happenstance was intentional or not, Callie could not say. Arizona did nothing out of the way, most times, to warrant such thoughts on her behalf. The feeling had taken root in Callie's heart. She knew, without understanding how she knew, that Arizona was emotionally blocking herself from her.

As if her waking hours weren't taxing enough, Callie found little relief in her sleeping ones. Dreams, stark and vivid, assaulted her to no avail. Images, sounds, forms from some distant memory tugged at her relentlessly.

Flashes of darkened rooms, blurred visions of an, oh so familiar, child, and dull, hushed voices calling back to a revelation since forgotten, all collided together in her mind and left her feeling as if she'd had no sleep when she finally awoke.

Both nights since she'd come back to Arizona, she'd awakened to find her love watching her in the dead of night. The first night, Arizona had been sitting next to her in a chair, her eyes appearing red from a lack of sleep. When she'd asked the silent woman why she was not asleep, Arizona had simply answered, _"Not tired."_

The following night, when her dreams had caused her body to break out in a light sheen of sweat, she'd found Arizona sitting on a cot beneath the window. In her arms, she'd rocked Daniella and hummed softly. Like the night before it, she'd asked why her partner was not asleep with her.

_"Daniella was fussy."_ she'd said._ "I got up to rock her to sleep."_

Callie had known Arizona was lying to her. It upset her that her partner wouldn't lean on her and let her help. Granted, she wasn't in the best condition and she'd, very recently, given birth and been in a coma, but she was no invalid. Arizona was suffering and that fact hurt her. She knew her love felt compelled to care for her, but by not caring for herself, she was, inadvertently, harming her in the process.

As she lay in bed on the third night following her coma, Callie stretched and was relieved to no longer feel the slight pull of her catheter. Against Derek's better judgment, she'd been able to convince him to place a wheelchair next to her bed.

_"I can support most of my weight on my arms, Derek. I'll call a nurse if I can't swing myself to the damn chair. I want to be able to use the bathroom on my own."_ she'd argued.

Though she was only able to wiggle her toes slightly and bend her feet at the ankles, Callie had been tired of feeling like a patient. Lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines with a catheter between her legs, and having people wait on her hand and foot had grown unsettling in a very short period of time. A nurse had removed the irritating tube just an hour before and with it's departure, Callie had been granted a modicum of her independence back.

After brushing her teeth and spitting her excess water into a cup, the tall Latina was beginning to feel more human.

The door to her left opened and Arizona entered. She noticed Daniella was not with her.

"Why did you have Derek remove your catheter?" the blonde demanded as she entered the room.

Callie, slightly shocked at the vehemency behind the words, pulled herself up and braced her weight on her elbows.

"I...I want to be able to do something on my own, Arizona. I need to start pushing myself otherwise I'll be in this hospital until Daniella's graduation."

Arizona ran a hand through her hair and fixed her with a stern look, completely ignoring Callie's attempt at humor.

"What happens if you fall? If you can't get yourself in that chair, Callie?"

"I'll call a nurse." the Latina countered quickly.

Something dark passed over the blonde's features. The air in the room seemed to become more and more thin the longer the silence hung upon it.

Callie, completely at a loss as to the nature of her partner's attitude, pushed back on her elbows until she was sitting up against the pillows. Breathing heavily from the effort required to perform such a feat, she turned her face towards her wife and set her jaw.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked in a softer tone, concern matching the display on her face.

Arizona sighed and walked towards the cot beneath the window. "Nothing." she answered, her eyes finding an interest in the thin hospital sheets on her make-shift bed.

"You've been distant." Callie pressed as she watched Arizona fluff a pillow.

Without looking up, the blonde replied, "I've been right here."

Anger forced Callie's eyes to close. The beat of her heart was so strong, she could feel it obstructing her air way. Why was Arizona acting in such a way? Why wouldn't she look at her? Where was the woman who had spoken softly to her when she'd first come around? Where was the person who had assured her that there was nothing wrong with their daughter?

Arizona had gone from caring, grateful, and gentle to clinical, detached, and distant. Did she think of Callie as burden? Was she tired of feeling like she had to stay?

Opening her eyes, Callie watched as her partner continued to rearrange her sheets and pillows with no apparent end in sight. The light of the room, suddenly, caught against a glimmer of metal and it's brief sparkle before Callie's eyes set her heart to racing at an even faster pace.

"Those are mine." she said into the quiet.

Arizona stopped her movements and, very briefly, looked in her direction. Her brow was furrowed and Callie knew her statement had been met with confusion.

Pointing at the chain around her partner's neck, she tried again, "That's my engagement ring and my eternity ring."

Her voice was soft and slightly shaky.

Arizona looked down at her chest and raised a hand towards the rings, absentmindedly.

"Yeah, when you were rushed to the-" she stopped herself and shook her head. Licking her lips, she inhaled deeply and started again, "I took them for safekeeping."

Her hand fell back to her side and she turned away from Callie. Walking to the door of the adjoining bathroom, she was about to enter when a voice stopped her.

"Arizona."

Bracing herself against a hand she placed on the edge of the door, Arizona exhaled. "Yes?"

"Look at me." Callie said, her voice trying to remain even.

Arizona bit the inside of her cheek. Keeping her back to her partner, she shook her head and let it hang between her shoulders. She hated where she found herself lately. Maybe it was sleep deprivation. Maybe it was a survival instinct. Whatever the reasons for her emotional shut down, Arizona knew the time for an explanation was nigh. But what was she supposed to tell Callie? How was she supposed to explain the staggering enormity of the warring emotions inside her? How could she explain to Callie her fear that she would slip away again?

She could speak not of her guilt. Not in it's entirety. Callie could remember nothing of the weeks before her hospitalization. Even though every fiber of her being was pleading with her to express her experiences while Callie had been in a coma, Arizona was terrified that, by doing so, she would somehow trigger a set back.

Her mother's words days before about letting go of her guilt rang of truth in her ears, but applying those words to her current lot in life was more difficult than she would have imagined. She couldn't explain her behavior to herself, let alone try to speak of it to another person. How was she supposed to tell Callie of her dreams? The dreams that became nightmares anytime she closed her eyes? What was she expected to say when her partner wished to know what had happened and how they'd ended up in the hospital?

In truth, Arizona knew she couldn't explain any part of her behavior the past few days. After she and Callie had held Daniella and she had promised that their daughter was perfectly healthy, she'd thought herself on a brighter road. Instead, her fears had conjured up horrific images and scenarios that left her choking for some form of salvation. She's been unable to find any peace when she closed her eyes since that day.

Her peace was in Callie's arms, but Arizona was too afraid to let herself go. She worried that, as soon as she did, some new, unexpected harm would befall her love and then she'd be in an even worse place than before.

"Look at me." Callie said again and her voice was more insistent.

"I need to bathe." Arizona said, trying to avoid the confrontation she knew was due.

"Arizona, look at me."

If tears had a sound, their song would have played mournfully from Callie's lips. Arizona heard rustling from behind her coupled with determined grunts. Callie was attempting to move herself. Still, she kept her back to the woman she loved. The emotions that she had been holding in for the better part of a week bubbled to the surface of her being. Her throat suddenly felt thick and her stomach filled with icy dread. A familiar sting harassed her eyes.

"Look at me." Callie pleaded.

Leaning against the door's frame more fully, Arizona shook her head again and whispered, "No."

"Why?"

"I just can't."

Again, the sounds of movement were heard behind her. It was obvious that great effort was being expended.

"Just look at me."

"Callie-"

"LOOK AT ME, DAMN IT!"

The demand was evident as was the desperation. Callie's voice, spoken so forcefully, shook Arizona to her core. Slowly, she turned around.

Callie was no longer lying against her pillows. Instead, her legs and feet were hanging over the side of her bed while she leaned heavily on her arms for support. Her breathing was ragged. The sounds Arizona had heard before had been her partner obtaining her new position. When her eyes met brown, she was stricken to see the weariness that had set into their depths.

"Talk to...me." Callie said heavily.

Arizona rushed over to her and shook her head. "You need to lie back down and rest. You're pushing yourself."

She attempted to place her hands on Callie's shoulders and push her back. Tanned hands moved, quicker than she thought them capable, and wrestled with her own.

"No," Callie argued, trying to keep herself upright, "just talk to me, baby. Please."

Even so close, Arizona refused to look at her. Her only thoughts, no, the only emotion she felt, was panic. Callie was pushing too hard. She was over-exerting herself. What if she fell? The sudden touch of hands on her face stopped her efforts.

Callie grasped her chin with her right hand and kept her left against her cheek. "Stop!" she said, holding her face steady in front of her own.

Deep, beautiful, dark brown eyes looked right at her, delving into the deepest parts of her soul. She could feel her heart pounding frantically.

"Look at me." Callie said one last time, her voice barely audible.

Arizona ceased all movement. Her body, between Callie's legs, lost it's will to fight and her breath parted her company in a painful sigh. On Callie's shoulders, her hands remained, though their touch was more searching than insistent.

Callie kept her hand on her chin, but moved her left hand down to the chain about her neck. She felt her partner inhale sharply at her touch. Arizona's body was as taut as a finely strung bow.

"Are you upset with me?" Callie asked.

Breathing unsteadily, Arizona tried to look down, but a firm hand against her chin kept her from doing so.

"No, I'm not upset."

Callie's fingers on her chest smoothed over her skin before lightly grasping the rings connected to a delicate simple chain.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Arizona licked her lips and closed her eyes. Familiar and welcome sensations were slowly starting to burn inside her body. Their warmth had not been felt in many long days. Callie, her Calliope, was touching her. She was speaking without difficulty and her hands were stronger and their movements more precise. Arizona wanted to collapse into her arms and tell her everything. She wanted to sleep and find rest without worry shadowing her footsteps.

More than anything, she wanted to know, beyond a flicker of doubt, that Callie was completely well and whole and nothing, ever again, would threaten her security. She wanted to take heart in the fact that she was not dreaming. How cruel a stroke of fate would it be to find out that her partner had never awakened at all? That her mind, weary from stress and gloom, had produced the images she most desired?

"Arizona." Callie said, as her right had moved away from her partner's chin and wrapped itself around her neck.

A shaky breath left Arizona's body at the touch. The hands she still had on Callie's shoulders grasped at the material of her hospital gown.

"Arizona..." Callie said again, rubbing gentle circles on the back of her lover's neck with both of her hands.

Unsteady, jerky, breathing absorbed all other sound in the room. Arizona fought to keep her breakdown from becoming known. She fought to control her emotions and not give in to the woman in front of her. She knew, as soon as she did, something would happen and she'd be left all alone again. Despite her body being worn and tired and utterly exhausted, somehow she'd managed to convince herself that all she had to do was stay awake.

As long as she could do that, Callie would remain here with her. She wouldn't have to face any harsh realities. Ten days. It had been ten days since her nightmare began, since Callie had been rushed to the hospital and Arizona had witnessed her worst and deepest fears come true.

Ten days. She had survived this long. She just had to keep pressing forward.

Yet, Callie was touching her in such wonderful and familiar ways. Her voice was strong and rich and no longer came out as a forced raspy croak. She was offering comfort and support. Arizona, for ten days, had been the one filling that role. The role of care-giver. She had, thus far, managed only brief breakdowns. Her tears and sobs, the ones that refused to stay hidden, had only broken the surface a few rare times.

Now, everything she'd kept at bay, everything she knew was seething just beneath the surface, was pricking at her skin and wishing to free. Her body desired rest, her mind sanctuary.

"Callie..." she started, shaking her head and trying to back away from the embrace of her lover.

Callie's hold remained true, despite the act taxing her greatly.

"Talk to me." the Latina begged, letting her thumbs run tenderly along Arizona's lips.

The sensation caused chained tears to break their bonds and fall down a face of ivory.

"Damn it...please..."Arizona whispered. Her voice was strained and her body began to shake.

She wished Callie would let her go! She needed to remain strong for them! Didn't Callie see that? Forcing her to open up, demanding explanations, would only set them back!

"No, baby._ I'm_ here. You're _here._ Just let me help you. Tell me what has you so upset. I don't understand why you're so withdrawn. Everything is fine now. Daniella, our baby, is here with us. She's healthy. She survived."

Callie paused, gauging Arizona's reaction to see if her words hit close to home. Judging that Daniella wasn't the cause of her sorrow, Callie ran her hands through soft blonde hair and continued.

"I'm here, Arizona. You didn't lose me. I...I just took a really long nap, but I'm here now. We can put this behind us and move o-"

"You left!" Arizona's voice overrode her own.

"You know I'd never leave you intentionally." Callie countered.

Shaking her head again, as if attempting to convince herself to not speak anymore, Arizona finally looked directly into Callie's eyes and let her emotions overtake her.

"You left. I was lost without you, Callie. I'm _still _lost, even though you're here."

Her voice was frantic and desperate as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I thought I'd lost you." she continued. "There was so much blood and you were _so_ pale. I wasn't allowed to help...you were cold and...I thought I'd never...I thought..."

Callie's eyes were wide as she listened to her partner. Arizona was clawing at her shoulders and her face was flush and red as tears seemed to have no end.

"Arizona-"she started, but the blonde went on, seemingly oblivious to her voice.

"I was in the room with Addison and Bailey and I...I just kept thinking that I was going to lose you both." Her voice hitched as she started to hyperventilate. "I told you how much I loved you and I begged you not to leave me. I _begged_, Callie. I couldn't raise Daniella without you. She had been without oxygen by the time you were rushed to an O.R and I...I-I oh god...I didn't know what I'd do if Addison told me I had to chose between the two of you."

Callie was at a loss. This was the most she'd heard regarding the circumstances surrounding her hospital stay. Bits and pieces seemed, vaguely, familiar, but she tried not to dwell on those things. Her thoughts, her focus, remained fixated on the emotions spilling forth from her partner. Arizona's worries, her fears, everything she'd been through, had knocked down the carefully constructed walls she'd placed around herself and were now visible to all.

"Then, she was here." Arizona laughed, thought it was not one of happiness or humor, but one of irony and disbelief. "She was here and before I'd gotten a decent look at her, Bailey took her away and I was left with you. And you...you, Callie, were still unresponsive. I touched you as much as I could. I tried, "she swallowed painfully, "I tried to imprint the feeling of her skin on my fingers. I-I c-couldn't handle the the knowledge that it could be...it could be my l-last time with you."

Arizona's hands moved from Callie's shoulders and landed against the side of her face. Her touch was erratic and without purpose. She moved to convince herself that Callie truly was before her, that she wasn't imagining the warmth of her body.

"I was torn. Did I stay with you or go with D-Dani?" she whispered as she stared at Callie's lips. Tears were obscuring her vision and her emotions were leaving her drained.

"Baby...I'm so sorry. I'm here now. We're all here." Callie said in a soft tone.

Arizona just shook her head and her tears continued to fall.

"I sat here for seven days, Calliope. Seven days. You were gone. You...you weren't here with me and every time I saw Daniella, I was reminded that you...y-y-you weren't here. She was fine. She was...was...miraculous. I had a daughter but at what cost?"

"_Mi amor_, I'm sorry...I'm sorry. I've got you now." Callie whispered through her own heavy heart. She attempted to pull Arizona against her, but the blonde protested and cried raggedly.

"You woke up..."

Nodding, Callie smiled. "Yeah, I did. I'm here,_ mariposa_."

"But you fell asleep again, Callie. I-I can't. I can't...please..."

Arizona collapsed against her, her head leaning against her chest while her hands clawed at her face, her hair, and her shoulders. Sorrowful, heavy, and painful sobs wracked the blonde's body.

"You left me again...you left...you left..." she cried over and over and over.

Callie, her own tears leaving her body, sniffed and ran her hands over her partner's back. She tried to soothe her, to take away the pain and anguish she could feel radiating from her small form.

"Baby, I won't leave you again. I'm here...you're not alone, sweetheart. I've got you."

Arizona stood back up and looked at her through wet eyes. Her face was unreadable.

"Are you really here?" she asked in a crazed voice.

Callie was unsure how to respond.

"What if I'm dreaming? I don't want to...wake up if...if it means you're not here with me anymore. I'm afraid to sleep..."

Everything, well mostly everything, clicked into place for Callie. Arizona was afraid. She was terrified. Though Callie had been through her own hell, so too had had lover. Arizona had been forced to endure the weight of grief, sorrow, pain, and uncertainty while Callie had been in a coma. She could only imagine how the blonde had felt.

Now, even though she was awake, Arizona still feared that she might lose her again. How did she alleviate such a worry? How did she let Arizona know that nothing would take her away from her ever again?

Placing her hands, once again, on her lover's face, Callie brought them both to eye level.

"Tell me you're here..." Arizona cried. "Tell me you're not a lie..."

Callie felt her heart tug painfully inside her chest. This was emotion before her. Raw, unchecked, untamed, pure emotion. Though she knew she wasn't at fault for what had befallen her, she still couldn't shake the wave of guilt that pressed against her soul.

Taking one of Arizona's hands into her own, she firmly pressed her lover's palm against her chest.

"Feel me." she said simply. "I'm here. My heart beats for you, Arizona."

The steady, reassuring beat of Callie's heart thudded against Arizona's hand and reverberated inside her.

With her other hand, Callie hooked a finger under her lover's chin and locked their eyes.

"See me." she whispered. "Hi, angel."

Arizona's timid smile brightened her eyes. Tears still fell, but the blonde's breathing was becoming more normal.

Leaning forward, Callie placed her mouth by Arizona's ear. The feeling of warm air passing over her flesh caused Arizona to shiver.

"Hear me." the Latina said in a low voice._ "Te amo, mariposa."_

The smaller woman exhaled and a shy chuckle hung on the air. Her hand still rested against Callie's chest and the continuous beat of her heart began to calm her anxiety.

Callie pulled away, but remained close. Using her free hand, she wrapped her fingers around Arizona's neck and smiled.

"Taste me."

Before Arizona could give thought to what was happening, Callie closed the distance between them and slowly brought their lips together. The kiss was unhurried as Callie tried to convey the strength and depth of her feelings. She hoped Arizona would understand what their slow kiss signified.

It was a promise. A herald to a new beginning in their lives.

At first, Arizona remained frozen. She couldn't get her body to respond to the feeling of Callie's warm, soft, lips against hers. When her partner slightly pulled away and placed a light peck on the tip of her nose, she cried inside at the loss of contact.

The cry was short lived as, a moment later, Callie's mouth connected with her own and proceeded to kiss her with greater urgency.

Arizona reciprocated.

Her hands moved down her partner's body and gripped her hips. Opening her mouth, she allowed Callie's tongue to massage her own. Her tears continued to slid down her face, but she viewed their departure as a release of her fears.

Desperate, yet light, moans joined the two women the longer they kissed.

Finally pulling away, Arizona leaned her forehead against Callie's and let the last of her emotions find their freedom. Callie wrapped her arms around her and held her close as she allowed herself to cry and find peace.

Callie said nothing, her body Arizona's salvation, her hands smoothing away the evidence of pain and worry. She knew there was more to talk about, but in that moment, she opted to comfort her wife, her dearest friend. She chose to hold the woman she loved and convince her that everything would be okay.

Time faded and, eventually, both women found themselves wrapped in each other's arms lying in Callie's small hospital bed.

For the first time in ten days, Callie held Arizona close and whispered words of comfort into her ears. She lulled Arizona to sleep with promises and soothing caresses. For the first time since the ordeal began, Arizona slept peacefully and heavily without the shade of despair invading her dreams.


	36. Chapter 35

**A/N:** Just a short chapter to establish some normalcy in the past events. This chapter also establishes how Callie's pregnancy is progressing. Overall, this bit is light and humorous. After the last chapter being so angsty and sad, I thought we could all use a breather. lol! Enjoy!

**Chapter 35:**

**-3 months ago-**

Arizona Robbins craved sleep and not a fitful sleep. No, she craved a full night's rest with no interruptions. She craved six to eight solid hours where all she did was watch her eyelids. She craved being able to drift away to her gentle and calming lands of slumber without being jarred awake as soon as she arrived.

Tonight was no different. After a sixteen hour shift, including four unscheduled surgeries, as well as having to avoid the unwanted, yet increasingly unsettling, advances of Lucy Fields, all Arizona desired to do was sleep and relax and let the world worry about itself for a few hours.

As she rolled over to her side, facing the bathroom door, and stretched she felt some of the day's tension fade away. With its release, sleep, deep sleep, was one step closer to her.

"Arizona?"

The blonde stifled a groan and tried to feign a deep sleep. It was late. She had to be back at the hospital in nine hours to work another long shift. Of the nine hours left of her freedom, eight and half she hoped to dedicate to lying in bed under the warm weight of her comforter.

"Arizona?"

No! She just had to ignore Callie. When her partner realized she was fast 'asleep' she'd give up and go to sleep herself. Yes, she told herself, just ignore everything. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

"Arizona, I know you're not asleep." Callie said.

"How do you know I'm not asleep?" Arizona mumbled against her pillow.

"Because you just asked me a question." Callie replied and a confident smile could be heard in her words.

Rolling over and sighing heavily, Arizona eyed Callie with a less than amused look.

"That's not fair. You cheated." she said, her voice still heavy.

Callie smiled and looked down at her. Blonde, tousled hair was covering most of Arizona's face and Callie thought she looked amazingly sexy in her appearance.

"Why are you up? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" Arizona asked.

"She's fine. We're fine."

Just a short time ago, Callie and Arizona had discovered the sex of their baby.

A girl.

Both women had been joyous over the news. They'd both, secretly, hoped for a girl. After Callie's appointment and the end of their shifts, they'd spent the better part of their day baby shopping and talking about how they each wished to go about setting up the nursery. Callie insisted on neutral or dark colors while Arizona, naturally, wanted to deck their child's room out in full purples and pinks.

Planning regarding the end result of the nursery had been put on hold.

Baby clothes were, equally, hard to agree on. Callie swung more towards snarky, attitude sporting onsies that stated how 'badass' the baby was or how the baby got their good looks from 'my other mommy.'

Arizona, though loving how cute an expecting Callie was, thought more traditional baby clothes were called for. Skull and bones, black and gray onsies were not her idea of cute. Bright, happy and welcoming colors were what she thought were best for their child.

Until a compromise could be reached, both women had agreed to only get what items were necessary and that would not clash with their respective and individual wishes.

Arizona shuddered when she thought about the drastic differences the two of them would demonstrate when it came to deciding on a name.

"Why did you wake me up? I have to be at the hospital in a few hours."

Callie smiled sheepishly and bit her lip. At the wide eyed look she received, she knew Arizona was aware of her thoughts.

"No." the blonde stated before turning back over and trying to get comfortable. "Not again. Just got to sleep."

Unable to move as fluidly as her lover due to her growing baby bump, Callie sighed and placed a hand on Arizona's side.

"Arizona..."she whined. "Please...it won't take you long."

"No." Arizona mumbled, refusing to turn around.

"I really, really having a craving." Callie pressed.

"It's late. I'm tired. No."

Sighing again and pulling on a pout, Callie decided to try a different tactic.

"You're mean. It's your fault, you know?"

Silence.

"Arizona, I wouldn't be having the cravings if you didn't knock me up. It's your kid in here."

"Believe me...I know." Arizona responded, her voice a little more clear.

Callie pressed her advantage. "Please?" she begged sweetly. "If you don't go, I'll have to go myself."

Grunting and throwing the covers back, Arizona looked to her right where Callie was smiling triumphantly at her.

"It's two in the morning and you want me to go and get you some tamales?"

Callie nodded. "The corner store a few blocks over has them in their hot case and they're open 24/7."

"Really, Callie? They have them and they're open 24/7? How could you possibly know that? Could it be because you had me pick you some up last night and the night before that and so on? Arizona asked sarcastically.

Callie's big brown eyes continued to look upon her shyly. She couldn't help the cravings. Most women she had spoken to and known had informed her that the cravings were a myth; that they were often times exaggerated to become the comic relief in movies and television shows.

Leave it her, to Arizona's baby, to defy everything she'd been told and bring about the worst cravings she could imagine.

"Don't be like that!" she said, her voice carrying it's own pout. "I don't even like tamales."

Arizona sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She wasn't trying to upset her pregnant wife. She was just tired and Callie's odd, disgusting cravings were interfering with her sleep. Why did she ever convince Callie that having a baby was a marvelous idea?

"I know, Cal. I'm sorry. You really can't wait until the morning?"

Dark hair shook around a tanned face.

Getting up and throwing on a pair of jeans, Arizona forced a brush through her matted locks and searched for her keys. Finally finding the elusive item, she looked back at Callie and pursed her lips.

"Three tamales. Anything else?"

She knew Callie was going to add something else. She always did. She couldn't eat the tamales without the 'something' else. Why she was wasting breath on such a frivolous question was beyond her. Maybe Callie wouldn't want anything else tonight. Maybe she'd just take the tamales, as they were, and that would be the end of it.

When she noticed Callie's lips curl into an embarrassed smile, she knew she would be picking up one extra item.

"Three tamales and a jar of cherry sauce to put on top of them. Got it. Be back in flash."

With that, she turned around, opened her bedroom door, and headed down the stairs.

Pregnancy could be such a bitch and she wasn't even the one carrying!

* * *

Sleep. She still had enough time to get plenty of it. Her excursion to the corner store had only taken thirty minutes away from the eight and half she still had left. That gave her eight hours. Eight hours was a godsend. She could work wonders at the hospital with eight hours of sleep. Well, she'd only end up getting seven and a half hours because another thirty minutes had been taken up by Callie scarfing down her, vomit inducing, late night snack.

The smell of beef tamales covered, no, drowned in cherry sauce had upset her senses to a point that she'd given up on trying to sleep until after Callie was finished.

Now was that time. After ordering Callie to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth out, in an effort to remove the smell from their room, Arizona found herself settling into another deep and comforting sleep. She knew it wouldn't take her long to leave the word of baby names, nurseries, and cosmically wrong pregnancy cravings behind.

Glancing at the clock on her night stand one last time-_3:13 am_- she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. Yes, sleep would come quickly. Seven and a half hours was still enough to get her through her twelve hour work shift.

Sleep.

Just.

Sleep.

* * *

A jump.

A jerk.

Movement in the bed.

No, no, no! Forget about it. Just sleep.

More movement.

A voice.

Frantic?

Excited?

There's an arm on her shoulder.

The voice draws closer.

"Arizona!"

Callie's hands shake her body.

Opening a blood shot eye, Arizona snorted and rolled over. Something must have been wrong. Callie's voice was..was...different. She must be upset or in pain or...something. Sitting up in the bed, quickly, she threw her hair away from her face and looked to her partner.

"Arizona...Arizona..."

"What...what's the matter? Are you okay?"

Her voice wasn't the most coherent she'd ever heard it, but it was clear enough to be understood. As she waited for her vision to clear and adjust to the darkness, a hand on her own caught her attention.

"Feel..."Callie said, placing her hand against her lower stomach.

As she waited to understand what was happening and why Callie had awakened her so suddenly, her mind began to clear and she felt the heavy effects of sleep simmer down and fade away.

After a moment, a strong thump, a kick, connected with her hand and she smiled as her breath was forced from her body.

"There." Callie said, her voice soft and awed. "Did you feel that?"

Arizona, smile still keeping her from being able to speak, could only nod her head and look up at her partner.

Another kick, just as strong, met her hand again and she closed her eyes.

Their baby was moving and was very much awake. Callie had been worried that she'd not felt the baby kick thus far into her pregnancy. Lucy had tried to reassure her that every woman and every pregnancy was different. She'd told Callie that if she hadn't felt movement by the 22nd week, there would be cause for concern. Callie was 20 and a half.

"She's moving." Arizona said, a small, happy laugh ending her words.

Callie's fingers tightened around her lover's and she nodded. "It feels amazing...slightly uncomfortable, but amazing."

"I know." the blonde agreed, lowering her eyes.

Callie thought she detected a shadow of sadness cross Arizona's face, but the room's darkness kept her from being certain. For several long minutes, the two of them remained close as they felt their baby move.

"She's strong." Arizona said, tracing her fingers over Callie's skin.

"Hmm, maybe she'll be a bad ass kick boxer or something. Sure feels like it."

Laughing softly, the blonde nodded. "Yeah, or she might be a dancer."

After a time, their child ceased to be as active and the two of them settled down into their sheets once again. Arizona kissed Callie's lips in a tender good night embrace and rolled back over onto her side.

Her alarm clock mocked her with the time.

_4:02 am_.

Six hours. She only had six hours of available sleep time left to her.

Oh well, she thought. She'd felt her baby move and kick. She'd heard the awed excitement in Callie's voice as they'd shared the moment. Losing an hour of sleep for those reasons was preferable, welcome even, than losing one to late night pregnancy cravings from hell.

* * *

"Arizona..."

Arizona opened her eyes and regarded the clock in front of her. She didn't feel as if she'd been asleep for very long at all. As the numbers of her alarm came into sharp focus, those suspicions were confirmed.

It was 4:15 am.

Was she doomed to not receive any sleep at all?

Rolling over and facing her partner, she noticed Callie was lying on her left side.

"Are you...having trouble sleeping? Getting comfortable?" she asked slowly, her eyes closing of their own accord.

Callie's fingers touched her face and smoothed down her cheek. The tenderness in the gesture caused her to open her eyes.

"No." Callie answered. "Not any more than usual. Laying on my left hip is the least irritating."

Arizona hummed her response and her eyes closed again. Callie's fingers continued to trace soothing patterns across her face and neck.

"Normally, I love the sound of your voice, Calliope, but right now, I really just want to sleep." she slurred, eyes still shut.

"Okay." Callie stated simply.

Silence settled around them. Arizona's breathing evened out and she felt her limbs grow heavy as sleep joined them. Callie's fingers, their movements comforting, helped to induce the rest she so desperately craved.

"Arizona?"

The blonde couldn't help the audible groan that left her mouth. Was asking for even an hour of solid sleep too much?

"Hmm?" she managed in way of response.

Maybe if she didn't put too much effort into her reply, she could trick her mind and body into believing that there actually hadn't been an interruption in her sleep cycle.

The warm press of soft lips against her forehead and then her nose and finally the dip above her mouth forced her to open bleary eyes and focus on her love.

"I love you." Callie stated, her eyes expressing the truth of how she felt.

Smiling and closing, what distance she could, Arizona scooted into Callie's embrace and placed a light kiss against her chin.

"I love you, too, baby."


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36:**

**A/N**: Lucy makes her move against Arizona this chapter and Callie finally recalls something from her coma. Not my best work, but I wanted to get a chapter out for everyone before the work week starts up again. Also, to all the Lucy fans, I'm not a basher. lol. I adore her character but just chose to have some fun with her in my story. Hope everyone enjoys! All mistakes are mine.

* * *

**-3 months ago-**

Sleep had not come easy for Arizona. After finally managing to get Callie to settle down and discontinue waking her every few minutes, she had thought her remaining hours would be spent in a restful slumber.

She'd been wrong.

Five hours after she'd managed to tell the waking world goodbye, Callie had awakened her...again.

She'd barely had time to register the time on her alarm clock-_9:21am_-before her partner had expressed another...craving...she had been trying to ignore for hours.

After satisfying Callie, as best as she could given her less than wonderful night of sleep, coupled with the fact that Callie was five months pregnant, Arizona had stumbled into the bathroom for a quick shower. Her last remaining hour, before her shift, had been spent enjoying breakfast with Callie and getting herself ready for work.

Exiting a scrub room, and feeling proud of herself for her flawless surgery, Arizona grabbed a few charts that needed updating and headed for an empty on-call room. Her next surgery wasn't planned until the late afternoon. All she needed to do was complete her charts and then, hopefully, she'd be able to grab a few hours of sleep.

No sooner had she settled herself down on the cot in the far corner of the room, then a knock came at the door and intruded on her thoughts.

"This room's occupied. Find someplace else!" she yelled, thinking the knock was from a lusty and horny set of interns hoping to use the room to relieve their sexual tension.

Before she could focus on her first chart, the door to the room opened and the last voice she wanted to hear floated to her ears.

"Maybe I want to use this room." Lucy Fields said as she stepped inside the on-call room and closed the door behind her.

Arizona watched, in abject shock, as Lucy turned the lock and regarded her with dark eyes.

"Uh..Dr. Fields...I-I didn't know it was you. If you want to sleep, I can always go to the lounge." she said, picking up her charts and hoping to make a quick exit.

Lucy held up a hand to stop her and shook her head.

"I didn't come in here to sleep, Arizona."

Color drained from Arizona's face and she felt her mouth run dry. Her mind had difficulty catching up with what she'd just heard. After months of trying to avoid Dr. Field's flirtations, advances, comments, and innuendo, it looked as if things had finally come to a head.

The professional side of her had tried to overlook the things she'd found disturbing and unsettling where her partner's OB was concerned. Seeing Lucy's smirk and hearing her voice drop to a dangerous octave, Arizona saw that she hadn't been successful.

It was time for the nonprofessional side of her to make an appearance.

"Look, Lucy, whatever you came in here for, you can just forget it. I came in here to update some charts and try to get some sleep. You need to leave."

Lucy shook her head again, unperturbed by Arizona's words, and took a step closer.

"Sleep? People don't use these rooms to sleep, Arizona."

"I do." the blonde said taking a step back to put some distance between herself and Dr. Fields.

"Oh really?" Lucy continued, a playful, devil-may-care, smile tugging at her full lips. "You and Callie have never..." she let the last word ring out in a long, sing-song tone."

Arizona scoffed and threw her charts down on the bed behind her. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she cornered Lucy with a steely glare.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I've put up with your...your...flirtations hoping you would get the idea that I'm in no way interested. But, this?" she said, holding her arms out to her sides and looking around the room. "This is too far. What, did you think you'd come in here and seduce me? That we'd hook up in the on-call room?"

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. Arizona intrigued her. She had since before she'd officially met her the first night she'd examined Callie. Before Lucy had come to join the staff at SGMW, she'd read several articles in several different medical journals about pediatric surgery.

Those articles, over time, all featured one person in particular: Arizona Robbins, M.D

Lucy had been taken ever since. She wouldn't have gone so far as to say that she stalked Arizona, but she had kept up with her career. At first, it had been nothing but a keen medical interest. Arizona was one of the top in her field. She was brilliant and, as one of the youngest surgeons in the country, was an inspiration.

When Lucy had taken a position at Seattle Grace, she'd hoped to finally meet and share her experiences with her role model. It hadn't taken much asking around for her to learn that Arizona Robbins, pediatric surgery, and Callie Torres, orthopedic surgery, were madly in love.

Everyone spoke highly of them. They were both accomplished and respected. Lucy had given up on speaking with Arizona, thinking herself silly for even wanting to, and continued to practice medicine to the best of her ability.

She'd realized, after learning about Callie, that somewhere along the way, she'd developed quite a crush on her one time idol. When the fates had played a cruel joke on her and brought Callie and Arizona into her care, she'd known she wouldn't be able to stay away from the blonde.

So, she'd started flirting. Even the most in love couples often times strayed and found enjoyment in another. It never meant that they loved their partners any less. So, to Lucy, her flirting was innocent. She wasn't looking to take Arizona away from Callie. She was just searching for a connection. Whether that connection was physical, emotional, intellectual, or otherwise, she didn't care.

"Don't play coy, Arizona. You can't honestly tell me that you don't find me attractive. You've never thought about what I taste like? What I might sound like screaming your name?"

As she spoke, Lucy stepped closer to Arizona. Her eyes were dark and fiery. The playful smirk that refused to leave her lips only accentuated her beauty.

"What? No, I've never thought...you're completely out of line here!" Arizona retorted, disgust evident in her voice.

Shaking her head, she tried to step around Lucy, but the other woman was faster than she expected. Arms caught her in a tight embrace around her shoulders and, a moment later, Lucy's body was pressed flush against her own.

"Don't lie." the taller woman husked against her ear.

Arizona pushed her away, but Lucy moved back into her personal space.

"I'm not asking you to leave the old lady, Arizona. We could just have a little fun. Relieve some stress. I'm sure living with a pregnant woman wreaks havoc on the sexual side of you...hm?"

Arizona could do nothing but shake her head and look at Lucy. She was stunned into mute disbelief. She'd known Lucy had been flirting with her. It hadn't been hard to figure things out. Yet, hearing her being so blatant was shocking to Arizona. She'd never believed herself to be a woman of few words, but at that moment, her brain was too addled to be of much use to her.

"Thought so." Lucy said, smiling at her.

"I'm sure Callie's kept you satisfied in the past. Let's just have some fun, Arizona."

Finally coming to her senses, Arizona pushed Lucy again and moved away from her.

"You're abhorrent! I love _Callie_. I'd never cheat on her!"

Unfazed, Dr. Fields turned around to face her.."You sound like a broken record. Is that what you have to keep telling yourself to deny the attraction you feel towards me? And, please, don't insult me and say there isn't one. You can love Callie all you want, but you're still human and you still have desires."

Arizona's shock wore off at Lucy's words. She'd tried being nice. She'd tried being professional. Lucy, like many doctors at Seattle Grace, looked at sex and hook-ups as just another facet of everyday life. The fact that the other woman was acknowledging Callie and the fact that Arizona was in love with her, only made the situation all the more sickening.

Why would Lucy ever think that emotionless sex, a care-free tryst, would be anything she'd desire to take part in? She could admit that she found Lucy attractive. She wasn't blind. Thinking someone pleasing to look at, by no means, meant that she wished to engage in on-call room antics with them.

"I'm going to tell you this, here and now, and you'd better pay attention." she started, standing up straight and squaring her shoulders.

Lucy faced her fully and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm in a relationship with _Callie_. We're married. We're not some passing hook-up that the hospital can gossip about one week and be done with the next. We're _married_. We've been together since before you started here. I've been through a lot to keep her and the same can be said where she's concerned. We bought a home recently and you know we're expecting our first child."

She paused at her words and her eyes lowered briefly._ First_ child. Perhaps that was true, in a way. It was her first child with Callie, but it wasn't her first child in the truer sense of the word. Shaking her head and bringing her eyes back up to Lucy's, she took a deep breath and continued.

"I respect your opinion as a doctor and I value having you as Callie's OB. That's the extent of my feelings for you. I'm not looking for any type of release. Do you understand? I don't have frivolous sex with random people to relieve stress. That's why I got married. If I'm looking for sex, I go to my wife. Not to you and not to anyone else. So, you just get that through your head or we're going to have a problem. Understood?"

She didn't give Lucy a chance to respond before opening the door and starting to leave the room. When she stepped out into the hall, she felt a hand on her arm.

Lucy looked at her with wide, nearly apologetic, eyes and held her in place.

"I'm sorry...I-I..I'm not like that..I...I'm sorry. I've admired you for a long time and I guess...I guess I got caught up in being around you."

Arizona looked down at where Lucy's hand rested against her arm. Her heart was pounding at what had just transpired. Parts of Lucy's apology were confusing to her.

Admired? For a long time? What?

Releasing a tense breath, she tried to calm herself. The entire encounter left her feeling sick. She was split on rather or not to tell Callie. Did they get another doctor this far into the pregnancy? Callie was already showing borderline high BP. Telling her about Lucy's advances could be dangerous. Would it be better to try to forgive and forget? Let the matter become water under the bridge?

"Fine. It's forgotten. No hard feelings." she managed to force out.

Patting Lucy's hand, she nodded and walked away. As she headed down the corridor, she failed to notice Mark in an alcove across from the on-call room she'd just left. The older man, unable to hear the exchange, had watched with alarming anxiety.

He'd never pegged Arizona to be the cheating type, but she had just left an on-call room looking very flushed. He'd thought, at first, that Callie was in the room as well, but when Lucy had emerged and placed a hand on Arizona's arm, his mind had gone in a million different directions.

He'd been unable to move. The two women had locked eyes and Lucy had appeared to be pleading for something unknown. When Arizona had patted her hand and walked away, it had left Mark even more confused.

**-Present Day**-

Callie laid, awake, with Arizona at her side. She was unsure whether or not it was late in the night or early in the morning. The room was cast in a shadowy darkness, the only light being from the few machines she was still hooked up to.

As she stared at a distant spot on the wall, the fingers of her left hand moved, languidly, along Arizona's neck and shoulders.

Her partner was exhausted. After her emotional breakdown, she'd collapsed against Callie and cried herself to sleep. The way she had clawed and grasped at Callie's hospital gown and body had been beyond desperate.

Though she felt a weariness in her own bones, Callie found that sleep eluded her. Her earlier physical displays had pushed the limits of her reserves. Arizona had been falling away from her. That had been all she'd known. She'd panicked and pushed herself and her body to do what needed to be done for her partner.

At the time, the only thing that had mattered was Arizona.

Callie's thoughts replayed everything her lover had said. She tried to piece together the fragments of her missing memory, but it was to no avail.

She couldn't remember what had brought her to the hospital. She couldn't remember Daniella's birth. She couldn't remember her last memory, her coma, nothing. She felt like there was something important just beneath the surface of her being. Important to her or to Arizona or to Daniella, she didn't know. She couldn't recall.

What was it?

_"...will you tell Mommy something for me..."_

Callie blinked at the sudden voice in her head. Where had it come from? Who was the speaker? She fought to follow the frail and flimsy tendrils of her thoughts. Like smoke, they were impossible to grasp.

Words played in her mind. Various voices came together at a startling pace to form a cacophony of myriad sounds.

_-"I'm pregnant..."_

_-"Deidre! Mrs. Robbins, please tell me. I feel like I'm failing out of touch with her. She's so evasive with me..."_

_-"I don't like this Calliope. I want us to go back to being just us. This is why I didn't want you knowing any of this. It's been one thing after another. I hate it..._

Callie could feel her breathing becoming erratic. Her mind was firing synapse after synapse and with each breath she took, a new voice, a memory, flashed throughout her being. The voices sounded disembodied and ethereal. They echoed in her head.

_-"Are you trying to make me fall in love with you all over again? First you tell me we'll discuss the idea of kids and now you're asking me to move in with you? How did you become so perfect?"_

_"Is that a yes?"_

_"That's a big yes. I'd live in a box if you asked me to, Arizona..."_

Memories rushed through her mind at a crazed speed. She could barely keep up with the images and sounds that assaulted her. As soon as she was able to pinpoint a memory, a new one would form before she had time to ponder its significance.

_"Marry me..."_

_-"So, what do you think...?"_

_-"Arizona, this is...it's, wow. Where did you find this place?"_

_- "Oh, I can't give away all of my secrets, Calliope. I take it you approve?"_

_-"Approve? Arizona, this place is awesome! It's gorgeous. It's huge and ritzy and-"_

_-"Ours..."_

Callie swallowed to try and catch her breath. She felt as if her mind was racing towards some great end, but what that end could possibly be, she could not say. Part of her wondered what had triggered and sparked the influx of various and sporadic memories, but she tried not to think overly much on that.

Doing so could stop whatever was happening and she desired that the very least.

_-"Everyday I spend with you is like a breath of fresh air. I cherish it. You make me smile. You make me laugh and dream. I love you. Everything about you. I promise to always love you. I promise to protect you and care for you. I'll always listen to you and support you. I promise to honor and respect you for as long as you'll allow me. On this day, I offer you-I give you everything that I am. My heart, my body, my faith, my love, my soul. They're yours, Arizona"_

_-"Should illness visit you in this life, you have my promise that I'll never leave your side. I'll be your friend, your partner, until the day I die. I love you. Today, I vow that you will always hold my heart. Today, I become responsible for your happiness and health. I can't wait, Calliope."_

Arizona stirred next to her and murmured in her sleep. Closing her eyes, Callie bit her lip. The memories, the vivid flashbacks, was like watching her life before her own eyes. Some snapshots played in order, whereas, others formed with, seemingly, no time line or reason. Struggling to sit up, Callie gently shrugged Arizona away from her. The blonde's head landed on the pillows behind her and she continued to sleep peacefully.

Sitting up and resting on her elbows, Callie continued to fight for breath.

_-"Calliope! Baby, can you hear me?"_

_-"Calliope! You listen to me! This isn't how things are supposed to be for us! You're a rock-star and you're going to be an amazing mother! Don't let this win..._

_-"She has ten fingers and ten toes. Her little heart is beating and her lungs are processing oxygen. She has a healthy appetite and well, you've heard her cry, so you know she's got a nice set of lungs."_

_-"CC, don't do that. She'd be mad if you did that. Wake up, CC."_

_-"You're okay, CC. "_

_-"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

CC.

CC.

CC.

Like a building crescendo in her head, the voices, the memories, the sounds, everything, came together and reached their climax. She tried to shake her head to rid herself of the scenes that played behind her eyes. She covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the voices all starting to overlap and blur together.

The sound of her own breathing, of her heart beating madly, thrummed inside her head and formed a dull ache at the back of her skull.

The voice! She'd heard it before. She'd been hearing it since the day she'd awakened from her coma. Who was it? Why was it familiar? Why did it feel like Arizona?

She tried to focus on the last line she'd heard. Behind her, she thought she felt movement, but she ignored it. She just needed to follow the voice...follow the last line uttered.

_"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

_"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

Her mind started to paint a picture. It was a canvas without color. There was nothing but a white expanse around her. The vision presented to her was out of focus, as if it were being pulled at the seams of its reality. She noticed different colors beginning to form around her. There was a body, a small body, in front of her.

_"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

Again, the voice rang out to her, but it was closer. The shape in front of her, the shape she'd managed to find in her mind, had to be the speaker.

Again, she thought she detected movement in her hospital bed, but, as before, she ignored it. Another voice, distant, called to her, but she remained intent on discovering who the person was in her mind's dream.

_"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

Letting herself forget about where she was physically, Callie struggled to remain wherever it was that her memories were showing her. The hospital, her room, Arizona, all faded away.

Opening her eyes, she blinked rapidly at the brightness around her. The form before her was bathed in a startling luminescence and was difficult to make out. She refused to look away.

The longer she focused on the shape, the dimmer it became. Her breathing quickened as apprehension set it. She was going to finally discover who this person was.

_"Are you going to say something, CC?"_

Callie's heart slammed into her rib cage so hard, she felt the wind knocked from her lungs. The image before her started to dissipate. She heard Arizona's voice calling her name from somewhere far away.

Struggling to burn the face of the person in front of her into her mind's eye, Callie called out to the child whose form was catching to the winds and shimmering in various directions.

"Hannah!" she called before the vision was gone and she found herself, once again, in her hospital room.

Her breaths were shallow and deep and her body was covered in sweat. When she looked over her shoulder, Arizona's wide eyed expression caused a lump to form in her throat.

"Hannah?" the blonde questioned in a barely recognizable voice.


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37:**

**-Present Day-**

Callie, sitting upright in her bed, fought to catch her breath. She felt a reassuring and warm hand on her arm. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Arizona's unsettling look. Her partner's eyes were uncertain and made it difficult to ascertain the emotion she was feeling.

The images Callie had witnessed during her mind's excursion were jumbled and bumping into one another. They connected and collided behind her eyes and it was becoming difficult to make each one out. One image, though, was clear, vividly clear, and its striking photo like quality threatened to steal her breath away every time she focused on it.

Hannah.

She'd seen Hannah. She knew, without a doubt, that Hannah had been who she'd remembered. Hannah's voice had been the sound replaying in the back of her mind for days. Even though the voice was too mature and did not speak with a lisp, Callie somehow knew that it belonged to Hannah.

The image of Arizona's daughter had not come alone. Upon the knowledge had also come intense emotions, distant memories, and forgotten revelations. These, unfortunately, were slipping through Callie's mental fingers faster than she could contain them safely.

Arizona's eyes still begged for an explanation. Callie licked her lips, nervously, and scooted back to rest against her pillows.

"I saw her." she started, voice shaky with her recent ordeal.

"You saw who...Hannah? You were dreaming?" Arizona asked, moving so that she could face her partner.

"No...no, she was here. I mean..s-she was with me. It wasn't a dream. I-I think it was...I think it was a memory."

Blue eyes darkened and lowered as a sigh met the silence of the room.

"Callie," Arizona said, heavily, looking back up, "you don't have any memories of Hannah, honey. You never met her. It was a dream."

Arizona leaned over Callie and readjusted her pillows. Smoothing dark hair away from Callie's face, she attempted to settle her love down.

"Lie back down, baby, and let's try to get some sleep."

Before she could move away, Callie grabbed her wrists with both of her hands. Dark eyes implored an audience.

"It wasn't a dream, Arizona! I saw her. She...she called me 'CC' because she said Calliope was too hard to say. She said you wouldn't like it if I went to the 'other place'. Sh-She said you cried when she went there-"

"Stop it, Callie." Arizona rasped, harsher than she intended. Sitting back down, she looked away from Callie and sighed.

"She said she couldn't look after you anymore and was happy that I could." Callie said, choosing not to adhere to Arizona's demand. She could practically see the lump that had formed in her partner's throat. Arizona refused to look at her, but her profile was a series of hard lines that belied her true feelings.

Callie knew she wasn't making much sense. She was just trying to tell Arizona everything she could remember while the information was still fresh. She needed her wife to understand that she hadn't been alone while in her coma. Somehow, Dims had been with her. She had...she had kept her company.

Large pieces of her memory were still a mystery to her, but she still tried to recall as much as she could for Arizona.

"She was more beautiful than the pictures and videos I'd seen. She was gorgeous, Arizona. She sounded like you. Sh-she didn't sound like a five year old." Callie continued, a wistful smile playing on her lips. Arizona swallowed and bit the inside of her cheek.

"I still knew it was her, even though her voice was more adult than I'd heard it. She was healthy and whole, Arizona. I think...I-I think she was my guardian angel when I was lost. She helped me find my way back to you."

For several minutes, Arizona said nothing. She was unsure of how to handle the information Callie was giving her. Angels and heaven and visits from the other side were not things that she believed in. Her mind was too logical to believe in greater higher powers and vast utopias of an afterlife.

Those were Callie's notions. Callie was Catholic. She believed in God and heaven. She believed in angels. There was nothing that Callie had told her that led her to believe that what she had experienced was anything other than a dream.

A sweet, wonderful, and uplifting dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Her heart tugged at her insides. It wanted to believe that Callie had seen Hannah. It desired the comfort that came with the idea that, yes, Hannah was somewhere safe. She was somewhere, above, watching over her.

Her mind, always too rational for her own good, reminded her that dreams could, often times, feel unnervingly real. Callie had dreamed about Hannah. That was all.

Looking back at Callie, Arizona took in her features. An ever-present smile seemed to reach Callie's entire face. Her eyes were lighter and more full of life than Arizona had seen since her waking. Callie truly believed that she had seen Hannah; that she had spent time with her during her coma.

"Callie-"

"I saw her, Arizona_. Please_ believe me."

Arizona faltered at her partner's words. She didn't want to upset her. She didn't want to _not_ believe her, but she knew Callie had only dreamt of her daughter. What other explanation was there?

Taking a hold of Callie's hand, she rubbed gentle patterns atop of it and took a deep breath.

"I believe that you believe it, Calliope. I've had dreams about Hannah since she died. They felt so real, I'd swear I could still feel her next to me when I woke up. I could still hear her and smell her. But, honey, that was all they ever were. Dreams."

Callie shook her head, "Arizona, it wasn't a dream. While I was in a coma, she was with me. I was between this world and the next and she kept me here so I could come back to you and Daniella. She helped me to realize..."

Callie trailed off and a furrow formed between her brows. The information, the memories and images, that were so present, started to fade away. It was becoming harder for her to recall everything she wanted to tell Arizona. She wanted to scream and cry.

"Realize what?" Arizona asked, softly.

Shaking her head, Callie opened her mouth to speak but no words came forth. She'd had a piece of herself back and now it was gone! There was still so much Arizona needed to know!

"I-I can't remember. It's harder to...I..I can't...damn it..." she whispered as she lowered her head and allowed a single tear to fall down her cheek.

She felt Arizona wipe away the wetness from her face with her thumb. A moment later, the blonde's hand cupped her chin and brought her head up.

"It's okay, honey. You're tired and you over did things earlier."

Callie shook her head. She knew Arizona was feeling guilty over her emotional breakdown from earlier in the evening.

"No. You needed me. Don't you dare make me feel like an invalid. I did what I had to do and I'd do it again."

Arizona nodded her head once and continued to stroke the soft skin of Callie's face.

"Okay." she replied simply.

As Callie settled back down into the bed, Arizona stood up and leaned over her. Helping to get her into a comfortable position, the blonde smiled once Callie was snuggled securely under her blanket.

"Sleep, baby. I'm going to take a shower and check on Daniella."

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand before she could turn away.

"I_ did_ see her, Arizona. I know you don't believe me, but I'll prove it to you in time. She's okay,_ mariposa_. She's safe and she's even more amazing than I ever imagined. She said she misses you."

Arizona sucked in a ragged breath and looked up at the ceiling. Even if Callie's words and information had come from a dream, hearing them, in no way, lessened their impact. The thought that Hannah missed her, that her baby girl was desiring her comfort, was too much for Arizona, especially given her current emotional state.

Smiling, sadly, and looking back down at Callie, Arizona nodded and patted her hand.

"Sleep, Callie. You'll feel better in a few hours."

With those words, she turned away and walked, quickly, to the bathroom. Callie watched her until she disappeared from view. Her mind was too chaotic to allow her to sleep. Instead of counting sheep or, otherwise, attempting to do as Arizona asked, Callie found herself making plans. Plans for herself. Plans for her recovery.

Plans for she and Arizona.

She had to regain her mobility. She had to recover her lost memories before her time in the hospital. She had to remember more about her time with Hannah.

As she looked at the window to her right, her ears were alerted to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Arizona needed to believe her. It was important. Somehow, she needed to convince her butterfly that her experience with Hannah had been real.

_"Will you tell Mommy something for me?"_

Callie replayed that question over and over again in her mind. Try as she might, she couldn't recall what it was that Hannah had asked her to relay to Arizona.

"I'll remember, Hannah. I promise, baby. I'll remember." she said into the dead of night.

**-3 months ago**-

Two weeks had passed since Lucy had cornered Arizona in an on-call room at the hospital with explicit sexual propositions. In that time, the two women had come to an uneasy truce. Lucy had tried, more than once, to explain her behavior in more detail, but Arizona had refused to give her the opportunity.

Callie's due date was drawing ever closer and Arizona found herself in full 'planning' mode. With only a week to go before Callie reached her sixth month, Arizona worked, painstakingly, to prepare their child's nursery. Compromises were made on a daily basis as to how they both wished to decorate. Work, Callie, and preparation(not necessarily in that order) were all Arizona focused on.

Lucy's desire to further clear the air had no place in her world. She remained civil and friendly, but completely detached where Lucy was concerned.

Callie's blood pressure was still higher than everyone liked and her headaches were still more common than occasional. Arizona didn't wish to upset her for anything in the world.

As she was looking over some of Hannah's old belongings in the downstairs bedroom, a knock at the front door caught her attention. Callie was at the hospital and Arizona wasn't expected to pick her up for another few hours.

Curious as to who could be at her house, unexpected, she stood from her spot on the floor and exited the room. Entering the foyer and walking past the staircase, she came to the door and could barely make out a distorted form on the other side of the painted glass.

Opening the door, halfway, she lowered her eyebrows when she noticed who was on her front steps.

"Mark, what are you doing here? Is Callie okay?" she asked, opening the door all the way and stepping back to allow the man entrance into her home.

Mark stepped inside and turned around to face her once she'd closed and locked the door. He placed his hands on his hips and caught her eyes.

"We need to talk." he said in a serious tone of voice.


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N**: Sorry for the gap in updates again. It took me a bit to figure out which direction I wanted to write this chapter from. I feel that I don't write Mark very well. His recent behavior on the show has made it extremely hard for me to see him having a normal, civil, conversation with Arizona. I tried writing this chapter from several different angles but none of them seemed to flow properly or come across as anything other than forced. In the end, we all ended up with this as a result. lol. Hopefully, everyone will see what I mean. I didn't want Mark and Arizona having a massive conversation. Not when there are other, more important(C/AZ heavy) issues to get back to. Hope everyone enjoys. All mistakes are mine.

* * *

**-3 months ago-**

Arizona cocked her head to the side and regarded Mark suspiciously. Though she and her wife's ex manwhore/sex buddy no longer butted heads as often as they once had, they were, by no means, best friend's themselves. They spoke, even laughed, more than they ever did, but it was still clear that Mark was Callie's friend and Arizona her partner.

She and Mark had made their peace with each other and both respected the role the other played in Callie's life. Mark treated Arizona like a younger sister, albeit, a younger sister he continually picked on and tried to get a rise out of. For her part, Arizona attempted to be more socially engaging where Mark was concerned.

Overall, Arizona would have said that she and Mark were close co-workers. They were civil around each other and shared a bond with a common person, Callie.

As she took in Mark's stiff stance and the tense set of his shoulders, she wondered what had brought the older man to her home in the middle of the day. She and Mark did not 'hang out'. They did not share lunches alone or catch up on the latest hospital gossip in their off time. When she and Mark were each other, Callie was also present.

"Um, okay." she said as she stepped around him and came to stand in the center of the foyer. "Is it about Callie? Is she okay?"

Mark turned around so he could keep his eyes on Arizona. His hands remained on his hips.

"I don't know. You tell me." he replied in a cold voice.

Arizona shook her head in confusion and scratched her eyebrow. "Mark, I'm not in the mood for your games today. If something is wrong with Callie, you need to tell me now."

Mark remained silent and studied her for a moment longer. Chancing a glance around the foyer, his eyes caught the light coming in from the guest room behind Arizona. He couldn't make out much of what was in the room, but he noticed Arizona follow his line of sight.

The look of panic that colored her face was all the justification that he needed. Stepping around Arizona, Mark made to go into the room, but a firm hand on his upper arm stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" a harsh voice snapped.

Mark's blue eyes met Arizona's. The woman's words were anything other than what he'd come to expect. They were strained and terse, not light and playful.

"Hiding something, Robbins?"

Arizona couldn't seem to place Mark's attitude. She was used to the man acting like a spoiled child. She was used to him behaving like an ill-mannered oaf. What she wasn't used to was him presenting himself as a scrupulous individual who felt the need to berate her for, seemingly, no reason at all.

Mark's cold demeanor and measured body language only added to the mystery of his presence in her home. If something was wrong with Callie, which she was beginning to think was not the case, then she couldn't fathom why he was choosing to behave in such a way.

What did put her nerves on alert was him trying to enter her guest room. Hannah's belongings were, currently, scattered about the floor and bed. Prior to his arrival, she'd been separating different items and organizing what she and Callie could use and what she'd prefer to keep for herself.

Of all the things in the world she could think to do on her day off, explaining the state of her guest room, and who the items belonged to, was not at the top of her list.

Still holding Mark's arm, Arizona bit the inside of her cheek and stood up straight.

"You either need to tell me what's going on or you need to leave. I don't know why you're acting more weird than usual, but you can do it somewhere else."

Mark's only response was a snicker as he jerked his arm away from her and pressed his clothing.

"You're not fooling anyone, Arizona. I've seen it all since it started. Callie's my best friend and I won't let you treat her this way. I thought I'd talk to you before I said anything, but you've even brought it to your house?"

Like a fish out of water, all Arizona could manage was an open mouthed gawk in his direction. Mark had to be drunk. His words made no sense to her whatsoever. What was he talking about?

Her lapse was all Mark needed to resume his march to the guest room. Arizona didn't want him in there and that could only mean one thing to him: Lucy Fields was in the room. He must have caught them off guard showing up like he had. The thought of Callie, his friend, working at the hospital while her wife was at their home fucking the O.B made even Mark's skin crawl.

"Mark! Wait!" Arizona called, noticing the older man about to push the door open completely.

"What? She in there waiting on you? The on-call rooms weren't enough for her?"

Before Arizona's mind could even attempt to make any amount of sense out of Mark's questions, the door to her guest room was, forcefully, pushed open.

"What the hell?"

Arizona walked up behind him and released a heavy breath. She watched Mark enter the room and, briefly, look around before dropping his gaze to a photo album on the floor. She'd been putting it together when he'd interrupted her.

Bending down to lift the pink album at his feet, Mark immediately noticed the picture that adorned the front. It was of a young girl, no more than two to three years of age. Her brown hair was pulled into pigtails and her amazing blue eyes were bright with laughter. In her hand, a small tannish brown bear with a red bow around his neck also joined the image. Looking closely, Mark noticed a stethoscope around the girl's neck. Deep dimples touched each of her cheeks.

Scrunching his brow, Mark couldn't help but find the girl familiar. There was something about her expression, her eyes, that made him feel as if he knew her. He, vaguely, heard Arizona moving to the right side of the room, but he made no move to look in her direction.

The silence was stifling.

Mark ran his hands over the cloth bound item in his hands and slowly flipped it open. The spread of photos that met his eyes only further confused him.

Each one showed the same young girl. Most of them appeared happy. The child's smile was dazzling. One picture caught his eye and he focused his attention on it.

A very familiar person was frozen forever in the image.

Arizona.

She was younger, that much Mark could tell. Her hair was shorter and a much deeper blonde, but it was her. Judging from the gown and what little background he could make out, the photo had been taken in a hospital. Arizona was in a bed, eyes glued to a small bundle in her arms, while her half, timid, yet awed smile made clear what he was looking at.

A woman who'd just given birth.

A new mother.

The possibility, no, the information caused Mark's head to spin. He had to be wrong. The woman could be Arizona's sister. That had to be it. Callie would have told him something like this. The hospital gossip and rumor mill would have gotten wind of it long ago, right?

Refusing to believe what he was looking at, Mark turned the page and only had his assumption confirmed.

Every picture on the next spread was of Arizona and the young girl. They had all been taken at varying times; some showing the girl as an infant, while others showed a toddler, but in every one, Arizona was present.

In every one, she was smiling, proud, and happy.

Closing the album and tucking it under his right arm, Mark looked, once again, around the room. At his feet, several more pictures lay waiting to join their companions. On the bed, a short distance in front of him, various boxes held everything from clothing to toys to wall decorations. Cutting his eyes to the left, Mark took in a set of, unmarked, dvd cases sitting next to a medium sized television screen.

On the tv, displayed, it seemed, to further confirm the idea in his head, was a paused image of Arizona feeding a child in a high chair.

"Mark."

The man was too confused. When he'd decided to confront Arizona about cheating on Callie, he'd not expected to come to their home and find...this. It couldn't fit in his head. There were too many questions.

"Mark." Arizona called again.

Pulling his eyes away from the tv screen, Mark turned around and met the blonde's face. It was...unreadable. Her eyes were sad, but not sorrowful. Her lips were fixed into a tight line, but were not trembling.

"Wha-who...what the hell is all this?" Mark finally managed to stutter out.

Arizona sighed and shook her head. She could have gone her entire life without Mark ever finding about about her daughter. Teddy? Sure, she could handle telling Teddy someday. Bailey? Maybe if she was drunk enough. But, Mark Sloan? The man who had slept with her wife numerous times? The man who, to this day, still asked for details about her 'technique' to pleasing Callie?

No.

Never.

Not in a million years.

Walking up to him, she gently removed her photo album from under his arm before stepping back again.

"Arizona, what is all this stuff? I thought...I-I mean, where the hell is Lucy?"

Arizona lowered her brows.

"Lucy? As in mine and Callie's O.B? Why are you asking about her?"

"Because you're fucking her and I came over here to call you out on your shit."

Arizona's mouth dropped and she heard herself scoff.

"What? Where the hell did you get th-"

"Look, she's hot. I'd bone her. I can't blame you for wanting to try the pie, Robbins, but you're married. You're married to my best friend and she's pregnant. You need to have the decency to-"

"Decency? You, of all people, came to my house today to talk about what is decent?"

Mark rounded on her and, once again, placed his hands on his hips. Fixing her with a steady glare, he continued.

"Don't do that. Don't act high and mighty. I've seen you two enough to know that what you and Dr. Fields get up to is anything but decent. Any other time, I'd be jealous, but not with this. Not when it concerns Callie."

Arizona could not believe what she was hearing. Had Lucy told someone, told Mark, that the two of them were sleeping together? Was she out for revenge for Arizona refusing her offer; her advances? She thought that things between she and Lucy were bordering on friendly and remaining professional.

"Mark, nothing is going on between me and Lucy. Nothing. I don't know what you've been told or what you've seen, but I can assure you that I am not cheating on Callie."

Her words brought Mark up short. He didn't believe her. Not for a minute. He'd seen the sly touches and the close encounters with soft whispers. He'd seen the two of them leaving an on-call room, both appearing flushed and flustered. No, he didn't believe Arizona at all.

What caused his pause was the conviction in Arizona's voice. She spoke as a person who truly believed the words she was speaking. There was no doubt in her voice. No hesitation. Like everything else since he'd walked into the guest room, Mark found himself further confused.

"I saw you." he said as he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. Tapping the screen a view times, he shoved the phone in Arizona's face.

Before her eyes, the blonde scrolled through a series of photos Mark must have taken at various times over the last several months. One showed Lucy leaning against a counter with her hand resting lightly against Arizona's arm. The smile on Lucy's face was playful.

She, vaguely, remembered Lucy making a comment about her being beautiful or something along those lines. She'd not responded. Continuing to look through the pictures, Arizona's eyes widened when she saw one of herself standing outside an on-call room. Lucy was hanging out of the door with her hand, once again, on Arizona's arm. Even though the picture was small, she could see the color that was present on Dr. Field's face.

By all intents, the photo did look like the two of them had just used the room for...other activities. She knew that not to be the case. She knew she had been appalled at Lucy's flirtations and sexual propositions. Her own colored cheeks had been due to her anger. Not her lust. Certainly not for her overextending herself like Mark was insinuating.

Looking back up at the older man, she had to suppress the urge to knock him on his ass. She knew he had meant well, but the only thing he had done, was be in the wrong place at the wrong time and, by extension, draw the wrong conclusions.

Lucy had been the one making advances. Not her.

Mark was standing before her, his eyes demanding an explanation. Around her, memories of her past life(memories that were surfacing far more frequently the longer Callie was pregnant) sat about quietly, their presence only further mocking her set of circumstances.

Great, she thought. Not only did she have to explain to Mark, in further detail, how wrong he was about she and Lucy, she also had to tell him about Hannah and her life before Callie. Not doing one would look as if she had something to hide. She couldn't allow Mark the possibility to upset Callie with his confounded allegations, nor could she have him speaking to her about what he'd found in the guest room.

Callie knew she had been going through Hannah's belongings. She knew that the blonde had turned their downstairs guest room, unofficially, into a room for Hannah's things. What she didn't know was how often, since she became pregnant, that Arizona visited the room and looked over photos and watched videos.

What she didn't know was how much her pregnancy was akin to Arizona's. Cravings, sleepless nights, an increase in how much sex she wanted, agitation over certain things; they all were the same. Arizona had experienced much the same while she had been pregnant.

Though she'd not craved cherry sauce on tamales, she had craved cherries. Anything cherry. Hannah's favorite food had been cherry cobbler.

"Well?"

Mark's voice cut into her reverie and she blinked in surprise. Whether she desired it or not, the universe had handed her Mark Sloan and demanded that she talk to him, of all people, about the two things in the world she wished she could avoid.

Handing the man back his phone, Arizona ran a hand through her hair and walked back towards the bed. Quickly, she removed the boxes and other items on top of the sheets and sat down.

"You're wrong about things, Mark. All of it."

Mark placed his phone back in his pocket and looked around the room. His eyes landed on the tv screen and the image frozen on it's face.

"Who's the girl, Robbins?"

Sighing, Arizona couldn't help the smile, soft and, slightly pained, that ghosted her features.

"She's my daughter, Mark."

"You're..what?"

Releasing another deep breath, Arizona forced the man to met her eyes.

"You need to sit down because you're right. We do need to talk."


	40. Chapter 39Interlude

**Chapter 39-Interlude**

**AN:**I almost added this bit at the end of the last chapter, but I thought its effect would be more powerful as a stand alone. I would like to say that the next chapter will explain the small time jump you'll all notice in this update. I needed to move the story forward and get C/AZ/D home without going into a lot of unnecessary detail. Also, Callie will be remembering what it is Hannah wanted her to tell Arizona next chapter. The story is going to be wrapping up soon. Enjoy.

* * *

_She was asleep. A deep, gratifying and peaceful sleep. No longer smelling the sterile environment of the hospital was a welcome change that only kept her in the warm confines of her slumber. She felt as if she could sleep the day away, despite Daniella needing to be fed in so short a time. Her thoughts continued to spark one after another as she tried, vainly, to remain oblivious to the outside, waking, world._

_Though she was not in her own bed, being at her home, the home she shared with Arizona, made up for that minor annoyance. The bed she was sleeping in, in the guest room, was adequate until she was able to walk up the stairs to her own room._

_She could feel a presence stirring next to her and, instinctively, moved closer to its warmth._

_"CC?"_

_Strange._

_Had someone spoken? Ignoring the call, she breathed in deeply before exhaling slowly. Just a few more minutes of sleep. That was all she wanted. No longer being in the hospital was a gift she'd not known she was craving so desperately. Arizona's warm, soft, body next to her was only an added incentive to remain, or try to remain, asleep._

_Though she and her wife had fallen asleep several times together while in the hospital, the small and restricting bed had not allowed for her current state of contentment._

_"CC?"_

_Again with the voice._

_Grunting her displeasure, she opened a bleary eye and blinked a few times to clear her vision. As her other eye opened, her focus fell on a form that startled her into full wakefulness._

_Hannah._

_Jerking up quickly, Callie rested her weight on her elbows and continued to blink. Hannah couldn't be here. Something was wrong._

_Despite her efforts to blink away the apparition she was seeing, Hannah remained staring back at her._

_"It's good that she's sleeping." Hannah said, looking down at Arizona and running a small hand through her mother's hair._

_"What are you doing here? Did something happen to me?" Callie asked. Her voice was thick with her scared emotions._

_"No, you're just asleep with Mommy."_

_Callie swallowed the sudden lump that had sprang into being in her throat and watched Hannah run her fingers through Arizona's hair. Her partner slept heavily and without interruption despite the touch she was receiving. Seeing Hannah and Arizona together caught Callie in the chest with a tight tug._

_They looked even more alike so close to her._

_"Hannah, I tried to tell her about you. She didn't believe me, baby. I can't blame her."_

_Hannah nodded and moved one of her small hands down Arizona's face to land on her cheek._

_"Mommy's stubborn."_

_At the words, Callie laughed. "Yeah, she is." Sobering quickly, she asked," Why are you here, Dims? Something must be wrong. This isn't right."_

_"Did you tell her what I told you to tell her, CC?"_

_Callie's eyes fell. As hard as she tried, she'd not been able to remember Hannah's words. Bits and pieces of her experience with Hannah had continued to work their way through her mind days after she'd told Arizona about her revelation, but that particular tidbit had remained ever elusive._

_"I can't remember. I'm sorry. I tried." she said, truthfully._

_Hannah looked at Arizona for a long moment. Her eyes appeared sad._

_"Why don't you let her know you're here, Hannah?" Callie asked._

_"I can't."_

_"Why? She struggles with your death every day, honey. It's not fair that I can see you."_

_Hannah refused to look at Callie. She kept her attention on Arizona and continued to trace the lines of her face._

_"You were hurt, CC. I kept you company. That's why you see me. I protected you for Mommy."_

_"But...if she could see you...i-if she knew you watched over her...Hannah, please. She misses you so much. She didn't get to say goodbye and that's rea-"_

_"There's still things you don't understand, CC." Hannah's gaze turned to the crib sitting next to the door of the room. "Think of my sister, CC. Once you do, you'll remember what I told you."_

_Callie opened her mouth to ask why Hannah didn't just tell her what she wanted Arizona to know, but Hannah looked down at her mother and spoke again. Her words were soft._

_"I love you, Mommy."_

_The words were spoken in the voice of a five year old child._

_Callie blinked and when her eyes cleared again, she was awake, sitting up in bed._

_Hannah was gone._

* * *

Her eyes found Daniella's crib and she smiled when she saw her daughter lying on her back asleep. Hannah's words rang loudly in her mind. They were clear and concise. As she looked at the small life she'd carried, her smile only grew.

"You're my hope,_ mija_." she said in a quiet voice.

Hope.

She felt her breath come up short. Before her eyes, a distant memory played out before her. She saw herself standing in the hallway outside of her hospital room. Hannah was behind her sitting on the tile floor. Words were exchanged as she watched Arizona and Daniella through the door of her room.

Fear.

Hope.

She remembered the conversation. She remembered wanting to return to her family. She remembered facing and overcoming issues she'd carried within her for a long time.

"Will you tell Mommy something for me?"

She heard Hannah ask the words as the memory danced before her waking eyes, but in truth, it was she who spoke them in the silence of her guest room.

She watched her memory come to its conclusion. Hannah's whispered words in her ear were loud and clear. Her dream self stood up and turned away from Hannah and walked into the hospital room.

The memory faded away and Callie smiled when she realized that she had retained the words Hannah wanted her to tell Arizona. Looking down next to her, her eyes found the back of her, still, sleeping partner. It was so easy. So simple.

"I remember,_ mariposa._ I remember."


	41. Chapter 40

**A/N**: Wow, chapter 40. 10 chapters longer than 'Control'. Thanks to everyone who has read and a big thanks to those who share your thoughts every chapter. This update is pretty long as I felt it dealt with something so important. We'll be, briefly, getting back to how Mark and Arizona's confrontation went in the next chapter. For now, Arizona learns about Hannah's message from Callie and remembers a sad time in her life. To counter all the heaviness, Callie shares a bonding moment with Daniella. Enjoy!

**A/N 2**: I'd like to take the time to state here that I am not, in any way, a religious person. Nor am I an advocate for breast feeding. I feel both topics are a matter of personal choice and, as such, deserve nothing less than respect. We know Callie is Catholic. Though she's never really presented herself to be majorly religious on the show, it is something that is important to her and I chose to write her in this chapter from that prospective. Also, I see both Callie and Arizona as being the type to breast feed. Being doctors, I feel they would wish to offer the baby the best. That, in no way, means I personally feel like people are bad parents if they plan to bottle feed. I have no children and really have no opinion on the matter either way. Lastly, if the medical bits of this chapter are off, I apologize. I'm not a doctor. lol. Everything I could find indicated, to me, that Callie, despite getting a late start, would still be able to breast feed. Okay, that's it. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

**-Present Day-**

Callie watched Arizona sleep for a moment more. Her friends and family had, over the past couple of days, told her of how frantic Arizona had been while she'd been in a coma. Her mother-in-law, Deidre, had informed her of how little sleep Arizona had managed the last three weeks. Seeing her lover breathing so evenly and knowing that she was, for the first time in a long while, truly and peacefully sleeping made Callie smile.

A small part of her wanted to shake Arizona awake and tell her Hannah's message. Though the child's words made absolutely no sense to her, she hoped, upon hearing them, that Arizona would finally believe her. Every time she'd recalled something knew from her experience with Hannah, she'd immediately relayed the information to Arizona. Despite her best efforts, her partner had still refused to believe that she had experienced anything supernatural or otherworldly.

She had, over time, gotten the sense that Arizona was becoming irritated with her continued efforts to make her believe. The smaller woman was never rude or ugly towards her, but Callie spoke Arizona's body language and had picked up on her agitation. When she'd been released from the hospital, she'd concentrated on adapting to her new life. Her new life that, now, held a very new addition to it.

Daniella.

The first night she'd been home, she and Arizona had been up nearly every two hours to feed their daughter. Callie had questioned why she'd wanted kids in the first place. She'd been unable to get any solid sleep, nor had Arizona. Still being limited, physically, Callie had had to rely on her wife to help her during the night.

The second night had been easier. Arizona had placed a chair next to Daniella's crib. Callie was unable to walk very long distances for extended periods of time, but she had regained some functionality in her legs. Her physical therapist, which Derek had finally introduced her to, had told her early on that her condition was more a mind-over-matter ordeal. Since she'd suffered no actual damage to her lower limbs, her limited mobility was due, more in part, to her extended prone like state during her coma.

She'd only had two sessions with the man but, already, she could see the difference in herself. Her legs were still weak, lacking the strength to move freely about the house or carry much weight, but she could walk, albeit very slowly, for short distances.

That's where the chair came into play. The bed was only a few short feet away from Daniella's crib, which had a section that could be pushed down, negating the need to bend over the side. The chair, tall and high-backed, was the perfect height to allow Callie to care for Daniella without having to stand.

All she had to do was get from her bed to her daughter's crib.

Glancing at the clock on the side table next to Arizona, Callie noted the time. It was late, or early, depending on how she looked at it. She knew the alarm would be sounding soon to signal Daniella's next feeding. Leaning over her partner, she quickly switched the alarm off. She wanted Arizona to continue to sleep. A small grunt from the other side of the room tuned her into Daniella. The infant was scrunching her tiny legs in towards her body and her arms were starting to move about her face.

Apparently, she knew what time it was as well.

Callie moved to swing her legs over the side of the bed and paused to take a breath. Getting her legs to cooperate with her was a continued struggle. Grabbing the night stand next to her, she used it as leverage to push herself up. For a moment, she allowed her body to become accustomed to its new position.

Slowly, and on shaking legs, she made her way towards her daughter's crib. Where she could, she reached for various pieces of furniture to help maintain her upright stature.

"Hey, baby girl." she whispered when she got to Daniella. Pushing on the release catch, she lowered the side of the crib facing her so that she could pick up her child. Before doing so, she sat back in the chair so as to not bring any unnecessary risks to Dani.

Once seated, she leaned forward and, carefully, lifted the small form from the crib. Daniella fused for a minute, upset that she was being moved from her warm spot. When she felt Callie's gentle hands and the warmth of her body, she settled down and became content.

"That's my angel. How about we do this right so we don't have to wake up Mommy Ari, huh?" Callie said quietly to Daniella.

She and Arizona had wanted to breast feed. Due to Callie's stay in the hospital, they had gotten a late start on that endeavor. Callie had been taking medication and so, had not been able to breast feed like she'd wanted. Once she and Arizona had brought Dani home, they'd spoken with a lactation specialist and were, currently, trying to get Daniella to accept Callie more than the bottle.

Only being home for three days, they had yet to accomplish their desire. Daniella still favored a bottle. She had not "latched on" to Callie and her inability to do so was starting to diminish her mothers' hopes that she ever would.

"Come on, _cariño._"

Daniella opened her eyes and looked up at Callie. Never in her life, had Callie felt more important. Looking into the eyes of the child she'd carried was more fulfilling than ever she could have imagined. Knowing that the child was Arizona's flesh and blood seemed only to make the bond all the more indescribable.

Smiling, Callie tried to get Daniella to latch on to her. She, desperately, wanted to breast feed. As a doctor, she knew it's rewards. As a mother, she knew it would only strengthen her maternal bond.

Daniella refused for a moment, her head turning away, while her mouth continued to search for what she wanted. Nearly at the point of giving up, Callie was happily surprised when she felt a mouth on her nipple. The sensation was entirely new to her, but when her eyes found Dani's, she knew it was right.

In that moment, more than before, Callie finally felt like a mother. She hadn't failed. She hadn't been rejected.

* * *

Before Arizona opened her eyes, she knew something was different. The heated presence behind her was gone. In its absence, her back had quickly cooled and the difference had been enough to slowly bring her to the waking surface of her consciousness.

Her eyes opened and started to adjust to the room's light. She and Callie had left a night light on near Daniella so they could see during the night when they fed and cared for her. What greeted her eyes made her smile. Callie's back was to her, but she knew she was interacting with Daniella. On her own.

Callie had become frustrated with her condition over time. She'd begun pushing herself so that she could be what Arizona and Daniella needed. When they'd gotten home, Callie had insisted that she be able to help Arizona with their daughter as much as she could. She'd told Arizona that she was afraid Dani would be unable to bond with her since she'd spent so much time either, in a coma, or in the hospital.

Arizona had known that Callie feared being a bad parent(like most first time parents did) and was intent on doing everything right. Without having to tell her, Arizona knew that Callie wanted to learn to care for Daniella without having Arizona coach her or watch her or supervise her. She wanted to be independent and autonomous.

Seeing Callie with Daniella, Arizona felt her heart catch in her chest. They were perfect. It took her a moment to notice Callie's position in relation to Dani's. The near dead silence of the room allowed her ears to pick up on a soft sound. She strained to hear it more clearly.

It was a soft sucking sound followed by a swallowing sound.

"Calliope?"

At the sound of her name, Callie turned her head to look over her shoulder. Arizona was moving to stand from the bed and make her way towards her. Callie smiled when she got closer.

"You got her to latch on? I can't believe it." Arizona said, looking down at Daniella resting on a pillow in Callie's lap.

"Me either. I didn't want to wake you and have you prepare a bottle for her. I thought I'd give it one more try and she...she just did it herself." Callie said, looking up at her partner who, now, was resting a hand on her shoulder.

Callie had, actually, come out of her eclampsia fairly on the easy side. Not to say that her ordeal had been anything but a hardship, but, medically speaking, she'd thus far suffered very few ill effects. Her blood pressure had stabilized on it's own and she'd not had to continue taking medication to reduce her risk of continued seizures. Apart from her fuzzy memory and her limited mobility, she was doing better than expected.

Derek, Bailey, and Addison(who had since returned to California) had all cleared Callie to return home without anything more than a visit to her P.T twice a week and supervision by Arizona on a daily basis.

When she'd expressed a desire to breast feed, if possible, Addison had spoken with a specialist she knew in the hospital to try and help Callie along the way. Since she wasn't on any medication, it was a simple matter of getting her body to do what it was supposed to do. That, and getting Daniella to do what she needed to do.

Arizona sat down, cautiously, on the arm of Callie's chair and wrapped her right arm around her love's shoulders. She felt complete in that moment. Happy, complete and thankful. Her family was with her. They were okay.

"The two of you are beautiful." Arizona admitted softly.

Snorting, Callie lightly ran her fingers over Daniella's hair and replied, "It's not me, Arizona. It's you. You make perfect babies. _She's_ beautiful." she said, indicating the little girl in her lap.

Arizona smiled to herself and let her fingers tangle themselves in the soft hair at Callie's neck. She heard Callie continue to speak a moment later.

"She's got a beautiful skin tone. Not as dark I am, but not as light complected as you. It's gorgeous." Callie said, letting her fingers smooth over the skin she was admiring. "And her hair...it's nearly the color of mine, but I can see traces of blonde when the light hits it the right way. I see you when I look at her, Arizona. For someone with recessive traits, your children certainly do take after you."

Arizona chose not to say anything. This was the first time that Callie had been able to spend an uninterrupted span of time with Daniella. Between hospital stays, check-ups, restrictions, visitors, tests, and Arizona's own supervision, Callie had been unable to really sit and look upon her new daughter. Though Arizona was currently present, she was not, in any way, helping or assisting Callie.

Callie had gotten up, on her own, and made her way to Daniella's crib. She'd managed to pick her child up, equally on her own, and settle herself in her chair. Tonight was the first night that she'd been able to get Daniella to breast feed.

They were bonding.

"Already, she has your expressions." Callie's finger ran down Daniella's cheek. " I noticed, early on, that she has your mouth. It's perfect."

Leaning forward, slightly, Arizona rested her head next to Callie's and smiled. She could never had envisioned another child in her life. Not after Hannah. But, everything with Callie was different. It had been since she'd met her. Seeing her daughter rest in Callie's lap, and hearing the awed tone in her partner's voice, was all she needed to know that her life was perfect.

They'd made the right choice in deciding to have a child.

"I hope she has your eyes, too, _mariposa_."

Arizona sat up straighter. "No, I think she'll have yours, Callie. Brown is dominant. The chances of her having blue eyes are pretty slim. Besides, I kinda have a thing for brown eyes these days." she finished with a small tug on her lips.

Callie looked up at her and Arizona leaned over to kiss her fully on the mouth. "She'll have blue." the taller woman said.

"Oh really?"

"Yep. She'd be gorgeous with the dark hair and skin but with your amazing blue eyes."

"She'd be beautiful with brown." Arizona said, her tone playful.

"We'll see."

No more words were spoken until Daniella's feeding came to an end. Both Callie and Arizona worked together in changing her diaper, burping her, and rocking her back to sleep. Once Callie had placed her back into her crib and secured the sliding side back into place, she eased herself out of her chair with Arizona at her side.

With Daniella taken care of, she wanted nothing more than to tell her lover what she'd experienced while they'd been asleep. Surprisingly to her, everything was still fresh in her mind. Every detail, every image, every sound. Nothing had faded. Though Arizona believed her experience to be nothing more than a vivid dream, Callie looked upon it as an intervention from God. She viewed Hannah as no less than an angel.

Sitting back on the bed, she watched Arizona move back to her side and settle herself down next to her.

"Arizona?"

Fluffing her pillow and adjusting the sheets on the bed, the blonde looked up. "Hm?" was her response.

"Something happened while we were asleep. I need to tell you something and I need you not to get defensive, okay?"

Arizona felt her shoulders tighten. She had an idea of what Callie wanted to talk about. She wished the other woman would let the matter drop. If she believed Hannah had helped her through her coma, if it gave her a sense of peace, then that was fine by her. As a doctor, she knew people often times experienced things similar to what Callie had, but that didn't make them true.

The brain was still an enigma in medical science. There was still a lot that was unknown and conjecture ended up filling in the blanks when science fell short. Everything Callie had imparted unto her regarding 'Hannah' could be explained away as the workings of her own mind during distress.

She couldn't understand why her partner was so adamant in getting her to believe what she thought was true. Why couldn't Callie just be grateful for her survival and focus on their family?

"Callie-" she started.

"No. You're not going to step around the issue. I know you don't believe me. Despite everything I've told you, you still refuse to even consider the possibility that-

"That what? That Hannah guided you back to me? Where was she when I was lost, Callie? Is that how God works?"

Callie sighed. "I'm not wanting to get into a theological conversation, Arizona. I don't know how God works. All I do know is that, when I was alone; when I was slipping away from you, Hannah came to me. She helped me to work through my fears and she kept me wherever I was until I was well enough to come back. I couldn't be with you, so God gave me the next best thing. He gave me your daughter."

"Callie, if that's what you believe, honey, then I can accept that. All that matters to me is that you're here, with me and Daniella. You're healthy. You're safe. That's all that matters to me. _Okay?"_

Silence washed over the room. It was not a tense silence, but it wasn't a comfortable one. Even after all their time together, there were still times when Arizona tried to put her old defenses back into place. There were times when she tried to avoid certain conversations because she knew she wouldn't like the outcome.

This was one such time.

Callie looked at Arizona's profile. The woman was still sitting up and her eyes were cut towards Daniella's crib. Callie could see her grinding her teeth.

"She went to the cabbage patch." she said, breaking the silence.

Arizona's head whipped around to regard her with confused eyes.

_"What?_" she asked hoarsely.

Callie knew the words would get her attention.

"I couldn't remember, until tonight, but before I woke up, before I came back to you, I was watching you and Daniella through the door to my room."

Arizona was listening to her so intently that she was unsure of whether or not she was breathing. Callie's words had knocked her world slightly out of orbit. The cabbage patch...

She'd nearly forgotten all about it.

"Hannah was behind me and I remember her asking me if I would tell you something. It's taken me a while but, tonight, I remembered what her words were. They don't make any sense to me. She said, "Tell Mommy that I made it to the cabbage patch okay." What did she mean by that, Arizona?"

Arizona's mouth opened and her head shook slowly. Callie could see tears brimming along the edges of her eyes, but they had yet to fall. She couldn't make out what her partner was thinking.

Or feeling.

"How did you...I m-must have told you about...you overheard something. Who told you about the cabbage patch?"

Listening to Arizona's words and the way she jumbled over her own questions, it was obvious to Callie that she was attempting to speak past the rise of emotions in her chest and throat.

"Hannah told me." Callie replied smiling. Her hand reached for Arizona's. "She told me that she loves you and she misses you, but that she was okay. She went to the cabbage patch like you said she would."

Callie's voice had started to betray her the longer she spoke. She could see the look of disbelief, of turmoil, on Arizona's face and it only made the obstruction in her throat more restricting.

Arizona closed her eyes and lowered her head as she locked her jaw in a defiant, yet futile, attempt to stave off the onset of her tears. She had to have told Callie about the cabbage patch. There was no other way for the woman to know anything about it. Since telling Callie about Hannah and her past, she'd opened up a lot and spoken, in depth, to Callie in all regards to her daughter.

That had to be the explanation. Callie must have remembered it and was, somehow, making it a part of her 'experience' with Hannah.

Right?

"I told you. I must have." she said, slowly, looking back up to meet Callie's steady and calm gaze.

Callie took a deep breath and centered herself. Her partner's face, even in the limited light, was starting to redden with her bottled up emotions. She could see the way Arizona kept jutting her jaw out and she knew it was an attempt to keep her emotions in check. The tears, still causing her eyes to shine, were being kept at bay.

"Arizona, I know you're not religious. You don't have to be. You don't have to believe the way I believe, baby. You're a woman that believes in what she can see. In what can be proven through scientific means. You're a 'show me' kind of person. But, sometimes, there are gray areas in life that can't be explained by science. We call them miracles or luck. We give them a name so we can define them."

Callie stopped and took a breath. Arizona was still struggling with herself and she refused to look Callie directly in the eye.

"There's nothing more innocent in all the world than a child, Arizona. You know that. You work with them everyday. You once told me that children survived worse because they played make believe. They believed in fairy tales and magic. That's innocence, Arizona. Innocence doesn't die. It's pure and untouched by this world. When Hannah died, I think she became an angel. Or what I perceive as an angel. Her spirit or her soul or her innocence, whatever you want to call it, remained somewhere because death couldn't touch it."

Arizona took a shaky and unsteady breath before releasing it past trembling lips. The longer Callie spoke, the harder it was for her to keep her emotions behind closed doors. Callie couldn't have interacted with Hannah. It was impossible. It defied scientific thinking. Yet, what her partner was saying did make sense. In a way, it did make sense.

"You don't have to believe in angels or heaven, Arizona. But, look at your daughter. Look at Daniella. She is, at this moment, the most perfect being on the planet. She doesn't know deceit or cruelty. She hasn't experienced dishonesty or hatred or prejudice. She is completely innocent. She understands kindness and gentleness. She responds to kind and softly spoken words. Can you honestly say, though, that there isn't a special place for her somewhere after this life? Can you look me in the eye and tell me you truly believe that her innocence isn't something that continues to exist after life? Hannah was the same, baby. She knew you and the world you painted for her. You told me yourself that you protected her from everything. She only knew goodness."

A sharp intake of breath broke through the sounds of the room. Arizona's mind couldn't wrap itself around matters. She tried to convince herself that she'd told Callie about the cabbage patch, but for all her efforts, she couldn't recall such an event. The idea had been something special between herself and Hannah when she'd gotten sick. She wasn't even sure if Terri knew about it.

"That innocence, that purity of a soul, found me when I was scared. She found me because she knew love. She was love. My love for you brought her to me. I believe that. Wherever I was and wherever she was, our connection to you brought us together. She loved you Arizona. She still loves you and whether or not you want to believe it, she watches over you."

Sniffing, Arizona wiped a hand across her nose. She could feel her tears slowly slipping past her bottom lids and falling down her cheeks. If Callie had interacted with Hannah...

She turned away from Callie and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Leaning forward, she allowed her weight to rest on her arms as she locked her shoulders. How could her partner know about the cabbage patch? She allowed herself a moment to become lost to a time long ago. A time when she'd been scared and pain had accompanied her every step...

A time when Hannah had still been alive.

* * *

_She'd become inured to the sounds of the hospital. Being a doctor had allowed her to not take notice to the sound of machine or the sterile smell of the environment. Where most people feared and, often, avoided hospitals, Arizona had found a peace in them. A constant._

_The on-call rooms, surgical rooms, scrub rooms, and even the various offices and waiting rooms were all part of a milieu she had come to know and adore._

_She'd never given any thought to viewing the structures as anything other than welcome. Not until her daughter became sick. Somehow, the atmosphere changed when she was the mother of a sick child and not a doctor with all the answers. The days had turned into weeks and then those had become months and before she was aware, all her time was being spent in the hospital but in a completely different capacity._

_Hannah was getting worse. Dr. Hasburn had been doing all he could and yet, for all his efforts, her daughter was still sick. She was still barely clinging to her life. Arizona couldn't fathom the alternative if the treatments didn't work. Things like that happened in sad Lifetime movies. They happened to other people that demanded her sympathy._

_They didn't happen to her. She and Terri had been together for a long time. Though they weren't in the happiest of places lately, they still shared a connection and were leading rather successful and joyous lives._

_With the exception of their daughter lying sick in a hospital._

_Life wasn't so cruel as to take it all away from them. Was it?_

_Was her daughter the price she had to pay for her happiness? For having her life be so complete and full? Did the universe demand that something in her world be lessened so that she would be on the same level as so many other people on the planet?_

_No, she couldn't think like that. Miracles happened everyday. People made remarkable comebacks from, seemingly, impossible situations. She was just a resident, but she'd seen her share of 'medical' miracles. Why should her child, her soul, not be granted that same outcome? Hannah would live. She would be a miracle and the three of them would continue on with their lives together._

_There was no other option._

_"Mommy?"_

_Arizona turned her head away from the tv she'd been, mindlessly, staring at and looked towards Hannah. Blue's Clues continued to play on the television in the far corner of the room._

_Hannah was lying back against her pillows, various and tubes connected to her body. Arizona shifted in her chair so she could look at her child's face easier._

_Hannah had lost so much weight. Though she'd kept most of her hair, the light brown strands were thin and without vigor. Blue eyes that had, at one time, brightened a room were now due and constantly colored with pain._

_"Yeah, baby?" she answered back, trying to inject a happy tone into her voice._

_Hannah struggled to breathe evenly and looked at her mother for a moment. The bear resting against her right side was wrapped loosely by her arm._

_"Where do you go?" she asked, her voice slow and labored._

_"What do you mean, sweetie?"_

_"When you 'died', mommy, where..do you go-ed?"_

_Arizona's throat tightened and she felt her nose burn with the tears she knew were pricking her eyes. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. Everything was going to be okay. No one was going to be dying. Hannah didn't need to think about death. She was four and her birthday was in two weeks._

_"You don't need to worry about that, Dims. You're going to be fine." Arizona responded, her voice betraying what she actually felt._

_Standing from her chair, she moved to sit on Hannah's bed. She checked that her daughter was comfortable and ran the back of her knuckles over a warm cheek._

_"I'm scared, Mommy. I don't wanted...leave you."_

_Hearing the words, spoken in the angelic voice of her young daughter, almost shattered Arizona's resolve. Hannah was supposed to be running up and down the stairs. She was supposed to be coloring and learning to write her name and signing the alphabet. She wasn't supposed to be asking Arizona about life after death._

_Arizona didn't know what to tell her. She'd never been a religious person. Neither had Terri. The two of them wanted Hannah to come to her own conclusions regarding spirituality and religion. They didn't want Hannah to believe what they believed just because they believed it. What was she supposed to tell her?_

_Hannah continued to breathe slowly. The machines around her seemed to make the act louder than it truly was. Blue eyes were, briefly, hidden behind closed lids before Hannah opened them again and looked at Arizona._

_The blonde knew she had to tell her daughter something. No one could offer her any comfort, but, damn it, she could offer something comforting to her child. Plastering a smile on her face, she placed a hand, gently, against Hannah's a started talking._

_"There's a special place for children, Dims, when they have to leave this place. It's called the cabbage patch and it's full of cookies and toys and lots and lots of crayons so you can color all day."_

_She saw Hannah smile. Her daughter loved to color and draw pictures._

_"When you get there, you know only happiness. You're never sad or angry. Anything you can think of can happen."_

_Hannah's smile grew, "Can you fly, mommy?_

_Arizona laughed and felt her tears begging for a release. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she fought to keep herself from crying in front of her daughter._

_"Yeah, Dims, you can fly and play all day. It's a special place where you get to be happy forever."_

_"Will you be dere?" Hannah asked._

_A pained expression marred Arizona's features. God, she didn't want to talk about this. Nothing was going to happen to her daughter. She wouldn't allow it. As her mother, it was her responsibility to protect her._

_But, how was she supposed to protect her from death?_

_She felt helpless._

_"I'll come to be with you after a while, Hannah. You won't even know I'm not there. And then, we'll be together forever and we'll eat ice cream and play games and be happy for ever and ever."_

_Hannah smiled and her eyes started to close. She was feeling tired and the effort required to speak was draining to her._

_"Otay, mommy. I can't wait to go-ed to the cabbage patch." she said softly before closing her eyes and allowing sleep to take her._

_Arizona sucked in a breath and put a hand over her mouth. She closed her eyes and allowed a few tears to slip down her face. She couldn't think about Hannah leaving her. She couldn't imagine her life without Hannah in it. Smoothing her daughter's hair away from her brow, she fought to keep herself from crying and disturbing her sleeping child._

_Hannah wasn't going to the cabbage patch. No, she was going to get better and she was going to return home so Arizona could care for her. She was going to grow up and go to college and meet someone amazing and live happily ever..._

_Arizona stopped her train of thought. She didn't want to think about what her daughter would be doing in the latter stages of her life. She just wanted her to live. Even if she grew up to be a beach bum who never did anything with her life, Arizona would be crazy about her nonetheless because she would be alive. She would be here. She would be safe._

_As she watched Hannah's small chest rise and fall, slowly, she prayed to whoever was out there listening to just spare her little girl._

* * *

Arizona shook the memory from her mind's eye. She felt Callie moving behind her and pushing herself against her back. Strong arms wrapped around her middle and a chin rested against her shoulder blade. Callie was oblivious to where her mind had just taken her. She heard the woman behind her speaking softly by her ear.

"I'm only suggesting that you believe the bond between a mother and her child truly is forever. I'm asking you to believe in the strength of love that can exist between two people. I'm hoping you'll accept that there are still wonders in this world that can both humble and amaze you. What happened to me was one such wonder."

Shaking her head, Arizona bit her lip and brought her hand to her mouth. She felt the overwhelming surge of emotion that flared inside her body and knew she couldn't contain it. Closing her eyes again, she struggled to survive the feelings welling through her being. Tears took no notice of her closed eyes and burned their hot and salty trails down her face. She felt herself starting to rock as she remembered Hannah and how much she'd loved her.

"She said it was just like you said it would be." Callie said tenderly.

"Oh, God..." Arizona managed to whisper as Callie hugged her tighter.

Somehow, in some way she knew she'd never understand, Callie had interacted with Hannah. Somehow, her partner had received a message from her daughter and, even though she'd not wanted to believe her, Callie had still struggled to recall the message because she knew how important it would be to her.

Hannah, her sweet, perfect little creation, had wanted Callie to let her know that she'd gone to the place Arizona had described to her. The place that, unknown to her at the time, Hannah would go to not one week after she'd told her about it.

"She's okay, baby. She's okay." she heard Callie whisper as she held her close and rocked with her.

Arizona wasn't sure if she believed in angels and demons or heaven and hell. She wouldn't admit to believing in ghosts or any other paranormal activity outside the norms of the scientific community. But, she did, after hearing Callie tell her about the cabbage patch, believe that her daughter was okay. Wherever she was, she was safe and no longer in any pain.

Her child had known how much Callie meant to her and had reached out to the woman because of her love for Arizona.

"I miss her so much, Calliope. God, I wish I could see her." the blonde's voice cracked at the end of her plea and the sound of it broke Callie's heart.

The Latina turned her head and kissed Arizona's cheek before nuzzling her nose into her hair. She remembered begging Hannah to let Arizona know that she was present and the child telling her that she couldn't.

_"There's still things you don't understand, CC."_

Callie wasn't sure what Hannah had meant about that. She felt as if her life was slowly returning to normal. For the most part, she was back to her old self. She and Arizona had both taken maternity leave and had only to worry about Daniella the next several weeks. Despite it taking her longer than she'd wanted, she had finally remembered Hannah's message and relayed it to her partner.

Arizona was still crying and rocking her body in an effort to calm herself, but Callie knew the words had connected with her in some way. She still had yet to understand what the cabbage patch was or why it was important but, judging by Arizona's behavior, they had been enough to finally make her believe in Callie's experience.

What Hannah could possibly have meant about her having things to understand were a mystery to Callie. They didn't matter at the moment. Only Arizona did. Her wife was the strongest person she knew but even she still needed someone to hold her and comfort her.

All Callie cared about in that span of time was being the one her partner would lean on. She knew they would speak more about Hannah and her experience and the cabbage patch. So much had happened the last month, but they both were slowly easing back into to their life. Or, learning how to navigate the course of their new life together with Daniella.

"I miss her...I miss her..." Arizona started to cry softly. She grabbed one of Callie's hands still securely wrapped around her middle and clung to it desperately.

Callie held her.

She comforted her.

She allowed her to absorb the revelation.

A part of Hannah still lingered because her love for Arizona could never die.


	42. Chapter 41

**A/N:** Just a short bit between Teddy and Mark to further explain some of the past events of the story. I really didn't want to have to come up with extensive dialogue to explain how Mark and Arizona's conversation went. I felt it was unnecessary. We already know the truth of all the events involved so having me write it all down again would prove redundant. There's plenty of humor in this chapter, but mainly it ties a few things together and allows me to start setting up the last few revelations left to unveil before I finish the story. Hope you all enjoy. All mistakes are mine.

* * *

**-Present Day-**

Teddy glanced around the cafeteria, lunch tray in hand, and internally pumped her fist into the air when she spotted Mark Sloan sitting alone at a table not far from her. Walking over to the smug man, she placed her tray on the table before sitting down to join him.

Mark glanced up at her in acknowledgement and took a bite of his apple.

"Altman." he said past the food in his mouth.

Teddy only looked at him before arranging her own lunch before her.

"Okay, spill it already." she said as she took a fork to her pasta salad.

"Spill what?" Mark asked.

"How the hell you knew about Arizona's past when I didn't. I mean, I'm her best friend and you...you're the manwhore who slept with her wife."

Mark lowered the apple in his hand from his mouth and gave Teddy a, half-hurt, smirk.

"Hey, in my defense, Torres didn't know Robbins when we were hitting the sheets!"

Swallowing a bite of her salad, Teddy removed the cap from her water bottle and took a long drink from it.

"How is that a defense? What kind of friends sleep together like you two did?"

When Mark opened his mouth to explain, Teddy shook her head and held up a hand. "Wait, I don't wanna know. It's gross and off topic, anyway."

Mark smiled, pompously, and took a large bite from his apple. "It wasn't gross when we were doing it."

Making a face, Teddy could only concede his point and focus on removing her bread sticks from their plastic wrapping. Mark had been good in the sack. She wasn't denying that, but the two of them weren't self confessed, 'BFFs'. Something about the title didn't mix well with the deed at hand in her opinion.

"Whatever, Mark. Just tell me how you knew. There's been so much going on with Callie and the baby that I haven't had a chance to ask Arizona about it. I didn't want to bring it up and risk sounding-"

"Petty? Childish?" Mark finished for her.

Shoving a large piece of bread into her mouth, Teddy was grateful for the excuse of chewing so she didn't risk saying all the things she wanted to say to Mark.

"I hate you sometimes." she finally managed after swallowing. "You're such a moronic creep."

Finishing his apple, Mark leaned back in his chair and laughed. "That may be, but I'm the moronic creep with information you want."

"So give it up already." Teddy demanded.

Getting information from Mark sometimes was like pulling teeth. The man was insufferable at times.

"It wasn't a bonding moment, if that's what you think. We didn't braid each other's hair and cry about our darkest secrets."

Teddy took another drink from her water bottle before giving Mark her full attention.

"Okay." she said, hoping the man would offer up more details.

Mark sighed and leaned forward to rest his arms on the table in front of him.

"Look, a couple of months ago I went to Robbins' house while Torres was still on here. I went to confront her about..."

The older man trailed off and his eyes lowered slightly.

"Confront her about what, Mark?" Teddy demanded.

"I thought she may have been...licking Dr. Field's cherry sundae."

It took a moment for Teddy to comprehend what Mark was talking about. When the implications solidified in her mind, her eyes widened and a, near choking, scoff tore from her throat.

_"What?_ You thought Arizona was sleeping with Dr. Fields! Their O.B? What the hell gave you that idea?"

Mark looked around the cafeteria before turning back to his lunch companion.

"Could you maybe _not_ give the nurses and interns extra fodder?"

Teddy blushed. "Sorry, but what the hell, Mark?"

Mark reached over and grabbed the remaining bread stick from in front of Teddy. Taking a healthy bite from it, he continued.

"I may have seen certain...things...that lead me to believe a little...vagina bonding was taking place."

"Eww, Mark. That's disgusting."

"It's good enough for Torres and Robbins. Can't be all that disgusting." Mark countered quickly.

Teddy refused to allow the imbecile the chance to steer them off topic. Finishing her pasta salad, she grabbed her box of raisins and popped the top open.

"What 'things' did you see that lead you to believe that Rainbow Robbins was sleeping with Dr. Fields?" she asked.

Mark quickly explained the number of compromising positions and situations he'd caught them in over the course of a several month period.

"So, I went over to her house to demand an explanation. I wasn't going to allow her to hurt Callie like that."

Chewing the handful of raisins she'd just tossed into her mouth, Teddy's expression softened a bit. Mark may have been an idiot, but his heart had been in the right place when he'd gone to speak with Arizona.

"What happened?"

Mark sighed and scratched at his beard.

"She was acting anxious when I got there. I noticed the door to the downstairs bedroom was slightly pulled to and I-"

"Tell me you didn't..." Teddy said, cutting him off.

Mark only looked at her.

"Tell me you didn't go all macho idiot on her and march into that room?"

"I thought Lucy was in there, alright? I thought I'd caught her red handed."

Teddy sighed and placed her box of raisins on the table. "Mark, all because you're a slut who can't keep little Sloan in prolonged isolation doesn't mean that you get to harass people who understand and enjoy a monogamous relationship!"

"I thought I was helping!" Mark barked.

"By barging into her home and parading into rooms you had no business going into? Asking for an explanation is one thing, but you crossed the line jumping to conclusions like you did."

Mark sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Believe me. I know. What I found in there wasn't a naked, wet and ready, blonde."

Again, Teddy's face scrunched into one of disgust but she chose to let it slide.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"Hannah." Mark replied, simply. "Pictures of Hannah, videos of Hannah, toys belonging to Hannah, clothes that had once been worn by Hannah...it was like a shrine or something. I guess Robbins had been going through things when I showed up."

Teddy regarded Mark sadly. The look wasn't for him. It was for her friend. For Arizona. For as long as she'd known the woman, Arizona had always been perky and happy and, almost childlike. She was good at her job. She helped her friends. She was loyal and friendly and tried to always project a positive and happy face to the world. Though Teddy didn't think her friend's behavior had been an act or a facade, she couldn't help but wonder if it had been put into place to help her cope with her daughter's loss.

She focused her thoughts and looked back up at Mark. The man was still talking.

"-told me she hadn't been sleeping with Dr. Fields. Lucy had been the one hitting on her. Some kind of hero worship. I later asked Dr. Fields, just to make sure, and she corroborated what Blondie had told me. We agreed not to tell Callie because Arizona didn't want her getting upset over nothing. I also found out that day that Callie was pregnant with Arizona's kid. We all thought Torres was the biological mother, but Robbins told me about Callie acting as a surrogate."

Teddy absorbed the information. Arizona hadn't told her about what had been going on with Dr. Fields, either. She'd kept it to herself. She'd kept a lot from her. Why had she not felt as though she could tell her about the circumstances regarding Callie's pregnancy? Teddy hadn't been made aware of that bit of information until after Daniella was born.

She knew Arizona had not told Mark everything she had because of some unspoken bond between the two of them, but still the knowledge that she had been left in the dark on so much stung.

"So, that's how you found out? You acted like a jerk and she was forced to tell you about her daughter because you found all of her stuff?"

Mark lowered his eyes again and nodded. He wasn't proud of how he'd acted. Finding out something so personal about Arizona had given him a new respect for her. The two of them had, unknown to them at the time, become closer due to the experience. Mark never treated Arizona like a special case and Arizona never opened up more about the issue, but something had changed between them that had granted them both a new understanding of the other.

"What happened to her little girl? Teddy asked.

She wanted to be asking Arizona the question, but her friend was still adjusting to her new life and helping Callie get back to her old self. She didn't want to burden anyone but, at the same time, she wanted to know because she cared for Arizona. The woman was her best friend.

Mark reached for his soda that was still resting on the table, unopened. Breaking the seal around the top, he took a short swig from its contents before putting it back on the table.

"She had ALL." Mark replied.

Teddy's eyes darkened and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"She died from leukemia." she said to herself and lowered her own eyes. "When?"

"Not long before she moved here and met Callie." Mark answered back.

As the knowledge became a part of Teddy, she found a small part of herself wishing she'd never asked Mark to bring up the issue. Meeting the man's intense blue eyes, she asked on final question.

"How old was she when she died?"

Mark stared at her for a minute before, "Four, nearly five."

Yes, she wished she hadn't let her curiosity and feelings of betrayal get the better of her. When she'd first learned from Mark that her friend had lost a child, she'd, for some reason, been under the impression that the child had died early.

Earlier than five years. She'd come to assume that Arizona's daughter had, possibly, died during child birth. Either that, or she'd died not long after.

Knowing, now, that Hannah had lived to be nearly five years old made Teddy's latest bit of information all the more depressing. She'd been old enough to talk. To ask questions. To joke and laugh and understand the world around her.

She'd just begun to live when she'd been taken from Arizona.

Teddy pushed her remaining lunch away from her. More than ever, she wanted to talk to Arizona and offer her support, her condolences, her shoulder to cry on.

When her pager caught her attention, she was never more grateful for its intrusion into her lunch hour.

"I've got to go." she told Mark as she stood up.

Mark looked up at her and the two of them nodded in silent understanding.

Some information was best kept unknown. Now, the two of them shared in the feelings of sorrow that was the price due for curiosity.


	43. Chapter 42

**A/N**: More cute and fluff on the past parts of the story as well as the beginnings of the last major drama to unfold. The present day events hint at future conversations of import. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

**A/N 2**: At the end of 'Control', I met back up with a friend of mine whom I had not seen in several months. At that time, the initial idea for this story was already brewing in my mind. The friend I met and talked with is Mexican and, out of curiosity(in case I ever did write this story...which, we can all see I did!) I asked her what the name 'Hannah' was in Spanish. What she explained to me is what I put in this part of the story. Hopefully, it adds authenticity as that is something I value greatly in my writing. Also, I would like to apologize for not responding to comments the last few chapters. I adore everyone who reads my stories and I LOVE hearing what everyone thinks. Explaining things in more depth or tossing points of view around are things I've come to really enjoy when posting new updates. So, I wanted to thank everyone who has read and continued to comment despite me being a recluse. I've been under a great deal of stress lately and just writing the chapters is time consuming enough. lol. Okay, stop reading this now and get to the real reason you checked out my page today-The update!

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**-2 months ago-**

"What's going on with you and Mark?"

Arizona turned and looked up from her spot on the floor where she was placing the finishing touches on their daughter's crib. Callie was leaning in the doorway with an amused smirk on her face. Her left eyebrow was arched high on her forehead and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Uh...I-I...umm, n-nothing, nothing is going on with Mark and I." Arizona stuttered. Raising her own brows, she jerked both of her thumbs towards her chest and stated, "Lesbian, remember?"

Callie smiled at her partner's humor and pushed herself away from the frame of the nursery's door. In the past month, Arizona had nearly completed the room on her own. She'd compromised on a color scheme she knew Callie would agree on-purple, yellow, and white-and had insisted on getting everything set up on her own. When Callie had offered to help, Arizona had informed her that it was something she wanted to be able to do for her.

Callie knew Arizona was worried about her increasing headaches and spikes in blood pressure. Both were somewhat common during pregnancy, but Arizona had refused any offers of help. It wasn't just the nursery that the blonde did on her own. She made Callie dinner and breakfast whenever she could, took her to and from work, drew her bath or shower every night, and practically waited on her hand and foot. The rare days that their work schedules didn't coincide, Arizona brought her lunch and vitamins to ensure that she was well taken care of.

It was sweet and endearing to the Latina, but she had long been sensing that something was wrong with her lover. It wasn't that the gestures weren't appreciated and welcome, but Callie knew Arizona. Even when Arizona didn't know Arizona.

Over the past two weeks, Callie had noticed a change between her wife and her best friend. She couldn't quite place her finger on the nature of the change, but it was present nevertheless. Arizona and Mark still bickered like rival siblings, but their tones with one another had changed and their spats had lessened somewhat in degree.

Knowing both of them as well as she did, it hadn't taken much for her to realize something was different.

"Oh, no worries there. I don't think I'm capable of forgetting that you, Arizona Robbins, are very much a lesbian." Callie said as she moved into the room and slowly eased herself into a rocking chair.

At six months pregnant, Callie's baby bump was much more noticeable. With only three months left to go, she was beyond ecstatic about finally meeting the baby growing inside of her. Ecstatic and ready.

The longer she was pregnant, the more emotional she became; the more her body seemed intent on defying her; the worse the headaches and nausea got. She'd begun noticing pain in her upper abdomen, beneath her ribs, earlier that day and planned to talk with Lucy about it the following morning. It wasn't a severe pain and it hadn't lasted for very long, but it had been enough to stop her during her early morning rounds.

"Well, good. I'd hope after all this time you knew I was very, very gay." Arizona replied.

Callie watched the blonde stand from the floor and make her way towards where she sat.

"How are you feeling, baby? Do you need me to get you anything?"

Smiling and closing her eyes at the soft hands running across her forehead, Callie continued to gently rock herself.

"I'm okay." she replied after a moment.

A hand under her chin forced her to open her eyes. Arizona's blue eyed gaze was staring at her intently.

"You have a headache? Nausea?"

Callie wrapped her fingers around Arizona's wrist and brought it her lips. Placing a tender kiss on the soft flesh, she met her partner's eyes again.

"Arizona, I'm okay. No headaches, no nausea, no nothing. We're both okay so stop worrying."

Bending down, Arizona stole a quick, yet loving, kiss from Callie's lips.

"I can't stop worrying. I just want you both to be okay. When you're in pain or discomfort, it affects me, Calliope."

"I know. You've been really amazing,_ mariposa_. I love you more for everything you've done, but you have to stop fretting over the little things, okay? You're going to have a heart attack if you don't relax." Callie said, the end of her words ending in a bubbly laughter.

Arizona nodded and stepped away. Looking behind her, she spread her arms out at her sides and exhaled sharply.

"Well, what do you think? I want to get a few more toys. Before you say anything, yes, I know she won't be able to enjoy them for a while but I still want to have them. I also wanted to get her name on the wall, like I did with Hannah, but we still haven't decided on a name yet so..."

Callie remained silent as she continued to push her feet against the carpet and rock herself in the chair. Her eyes took on a dreamy quality the longer she watched and listened to her wife. Arizona moved around the nursery explaining one thing or another, all the while her hands moved about in an animated fashion and her smile was ever present.

Callie couldn't believe how far she'd come in her own life. She was married, living in a gorgeous new home (not an apartment or a hospital basement) and was expecting her first child. Not only was her world a beautiful place to her now, her partner was amazing and caring and, quite frankly, the most awesome person in the world to her.

Her musings were interrupted when she noticed Arizona had stopped moving. The blonde was standing in the middle of the nursery with her hands on her slim hips. Her eyes were glued to Callie's and a stray strand of hair was falling in her face from where it had escaped her messy ponytail.

"So...?"

"So what?" Callie asked back, confused.

Arizona smiled. "We need to discuss baby names. I know we decided on using some form of Hannah's name as her middle name, but we still need to work out her first name. She'll be here in less than three months."

Callie couldn't stop the wide smile that overcame her face. She found Arizona so cute and adorable when she was in 'Mommy mode'. It was touching and made her feel even more lucky to be spending her life with the other woman.

Deciding on a baby name wasn't really an issue for Callie. She knew Arizona wanted to honor Hannah in some way. Since learning of her pregnancy, Callie had tossed around names, both male and female, inside her head to see which combinations sounded best to her. Naturally, she'd tossed more girl names than boy names.

With every first name she could think of, she'd tried pairing it with Hannah. For the life of her, the names she liked wouldn't fit with Arizona's daughter's name. Shortly after learning the sex of their unborn child, Callie had decided to try Spanish versions of Hannah. Hannah was still Hannah in Spanish with less emphasis on the 'H'. _'Hernanda'_ was another version of the name, but it was too harsh, in her opinion, to be paired with a another name.

After thinking over matters, and calling her mother, Callie had come up with 'Aña'. It could still be used as a, lesser known, version of the name Hannah, but it was still legit and offered easier ways to use it as a middle name. That, and it gave her child with Arizona a connection to another part of her lineage.

Callie's heritage.

Having decided on a middle name, it had been easy to come up with an, equally, appropriate first name. All Callie had to do was pitch her suggestions to Arizona and hope for the best. Meeting her partner's expectant blue eyes, she shook her head to clear her mind.

"Daniella Aña." she blurted without pretense.

Arizona lowered her eyebrows and regarded her in silence.

Callie took the opportunity to explain herself.

"Aña is, basically, Hannah in Spanish. The name remembers your daughter, but it also give our child a connection to me. Daniella, well, I thought we could honor your brother. He was named after your father. Danielle is the female version of Daniel, but I kinda like Daniella better. Also, it goes really great with Aña." she said, smiling.

Arizona continued to stare at her, but her face was unreadable. Her mouth was slightly ajar and her eyes looked to possess a, near, impish delight. Callie, thinking she'd overstepped on the issue, immediately went into damage control.

"I-I've kinda been giving it a lot of thought the past month. I didn't want to toss anything your way until I'd worked out everything in my own head. W-we don't have to use the name. It was j-just a suggestion. You're right. We need to both sit down and decide together. I shouldn't have tak-"

"I love it." Arizona stopped her.

"You do?"

Arizona walked back to her and placed her hands on the armrests of the rocking chair. Leaning forward, she brought her face eye level with Callie's and smiled.

"I do. It's perfect."

"You're not upset that you weren't part of the naming process?"

"Nope. I gave you an egg and I built the damn crib. You can name her all you want." Arizona said, laughing.

Callie relaxed and released a breath. Moving her hands, she trailed her fingers up Arizona's forearms. She felt soft and warm lips brush across her forehead and the sensation only put her more at ease.

"So, if you won't tell me what's going on with you and Mark-" she started when Arizona squatted down between her legs.

"Nothing is going on with me and Mark. We've come to an understanding."

Callie snorted. "Yeah, okay, sure. If you and Mark want to act all weird, then whatever." She paused. Arizona's hands were rubbing soothing patterns on her stomach. "What's up with you and Dr. Fields?"

Arizona flinched and felt her insides freeze at the question. Her fingers, unknown to her, stopped their ministrations on her partner's abdomen.

"W-what a-are you talking about?" she asked, but was unable to look in Callie's eyes.

The reaction didn't go unnoticed. Callie scrunched her face up and continued to stare at the top of the blonde's head. The last few appointments she'd had with her O.B had been...awkward to say the least. Where before, Arizona had been an active presence, lately, she'd been reticent and, noticeably, uneasy when in the exam room.

Dr. Fields' behavior had, also, been anxious the last few appointments. Callie had noticed, what she could only describe as, lingering glances by her O.B in regard to her partner. Lucy, most likely, had thought her expressions neutral, but Callie, as with Mark, had picked up on something different with Dr. Fields and Arizona.

The tension and agitation had been palpable her last exam. That, mixed with Arizona's obvious apprehension, worried her.

"I don't know. You've just been uneasy around her. She always seems to rush through my appointments and leaves the room before I've had time to ask any questions."

Arizona, head still bowed, replied, "Well, maybe she's taken on a larger case load or maybe she figures since we're doctors ourselves we won't have too many questions."

"We took her on as another OB so we wouldn't have to travel to see Addie. She's supposed to answer our questions, Arizona. She's supposed to give me time to process what she tells us before bolting."

Standing and sighing, Arizona turned away from her and took a deep breath. She knew she needed to handle the conversation with care. She could tell Callie was getting herself worked up and she didn't want to be the cause for another headache. Nothing had happened between herself and Lucy. There was nothing to tell Callie.

It was best if she just steered them away from their current conversation.

"I guess she's stressed, honey. I don't know. Let's not talk about her, okay? If you have any questions, you can ask me or we can call Addison if you're not happy with her."

Callie swallowed the growing nerves forming in her throat and tying knots in her stomach. Arizona's reaction was...extreme. Avoidance was the only name she could give it. Why the nervousness? Why the dismissal? She could feel a deep pounding starting behind her eyes.

A headache.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself before looking back to Arizona. The other woman was smiling, but it didn't touch her eyes.

"You're right." Arizona said, changing the topic and coming to stand in front of her again. "Something did happen between Mark and I. He...uh...he knows about Hannah."

Callie felt her nerves being consumed by curiosity. In a matter of seconds, her love of gossip and easy conversation with Arizona managed to burn away her fears and worries. She felt herself becoming curious.

"What? How the hell does he know? You know I never told him anything."

Arizona nodded. "I know. It's a long story. How about I get my gorgeous wife to bed and tell her all about it?"

Callie blushed at the compliment and took the hand her partner offered to her. Once standing again, she allowed Arizona to lead her down the hall to their room. Her moment of doubt and insecurity had ebbed and decayed. In it's place was love and devotion to the woman she'd given her heart to.

As Arizona moved towards their room, she felt an immense wave of guilt nearly overcome her. She hated keeping things from Callie. Her encounter with Mark had been kept from Callie because she'd not wanted to be reminded of Mark's accusations, nor had she wanted to speak of those accusations to Callie.

Though she knew her decision to withhold certain information was borne from a sense of what she believed was right, she still couldn't help the remorse that flared to life within her veins. Despite her reasons, she was still lying to her wife. Even being asked, point blank, the reasons for her sudden change towards Dr. Fields, she'd still chosen to lie and avoid the issue instead of giving Callie the details straight.

A part of her argued that she was trying to protect Callie. She was trying to ensure that she and their baby were kept happy and safe and out of harms way. Even if that harm came in the form of headaches, back pains, and nausea, Arizona wanted only to alleviate as much of it as she could.

She damn sure didn't wish to be the cause of it.

As soon as Callie gave birth and both she and their daughter were safe and healthy and in no danger, she promised herself that she would tell Callie everything regarding Lucy and her advances. Her conscience needed the relief the weight of her guilt would provide.

Just three more months.

**-Present Day-**

"Lie back down with me. I've got you, angel. I've got you."

Callie's voice was soft and gentle. Her arms were still wrapped, firmly, around Arizona's waist and her face was pressed against the blonde's ear. She could feel her partner's body beginning to relax. Arizona's tears had subsided to nearly silent trembles.

"Come on, lie down with me. Let me hold you. We don't have to talk, Arizona. Just lie down with me."

After another brief moment of convincing, Callie finally managed to get Arizona to turn back towards their bed and move so that the two of them were, once again, lying next to each other. Arizona snuggled up against Callie's left side and sighed when she felt a hand being to brush through her hair. Her own hand splayed across her wife's stomach and began to trace soothing patterns over her ribs and down to her navel.

"They were happy." she said softly into the silence.

"What?" Callie asked, confused.

Tracing her thumb along the underside of her love's ribcage, Arizona licked her lips and sniffed back her emotions.

"The tears. They were happy tears. Not sad ones. As far as I've come to accepting Hannah's death, there's still days where it nearly overwhelms me...the fact that she's gone. Not getting to be with her when she...w-when she...p-passed...has haunted me everyday, Calliope. I've wondered if she was scared being all alone like she was. I've wondered if she was angry with me because I wasn't there with her...those last few minutes. She was alive when I left the room and gone when I returned. I-It was s-so fast. She was with me one minute and then off to the cabbage patch the next."

Arizona's voice hitched towards the end of her words and she buried her face into Callie's side. A hand wrapped around her back and pulled her close.

"I don't think she was angry or mad at you, Arizona."

"I hope not."

Callie scratched her nails over her partner's upper arm and hugged her tightly.

"What was it, anyway?" she asked, breaking the quiet of the room.

Arizona didn't need to ask for an elaboration to the question. She knew what Callie was referring to and it only cemented the reality that, yes, her partner somehow had interacted with her daughter during her coma. The knowledge was overwhelming to Arizona.

Overwhelming and unnerving. She knew she didn't wish to spend a whole lot of time attempting to figure out the specifics of Callie's experience. She just wanted to know that her daughter was okay; that she wasn't angry or hurt, in any way, by her. Callie's revelation was offering solace to her. It's form was rare and, unsettling, but it was a solace nonetheless.

"It was a place I made up to comfort her." she started. "A week before she died, she asked me where she would go when she left me. Terri and I had never tried to influence her in any one religion or way of thinking, so, I made up a place for her. A place she wouldn't be afraid of. A place she would enjoy and that would be filled with everything she loved doing."

Callie smiled as she listened to Arizona's ethereal voice. Her lover's fingers continued their languid movements and only proved another sign to the dawn of contentment and peace.

"How could she go there, Callie, when it was something I made up? That doesn't make any sense to me." Arizona asked.

"It was all she knew, Ari. Heaven isn't a single place. At least, I don't think it is. Heaven is what you make it. I think our perceptions shape more than the world around us. I think, when we die, those same perceptions alter our own afterlife. Hannah knew she was sick. When you told her about the cabbage patch, it must have made an impression and so, when she passed away, she went to the place you had made for her. Whether or not God made her a special heaven just for her is a matter of opinion. But, I think your creation shaped her reality where she went."

Silence settled over the two women as Arizona absorbed Callie's words. The sound of the wall clock above the bed ticked at a relaxing cadence.

"Was she healthy, Callie?" the blonde whispered.

Callie turned her head and brushed her lips over Arizona's nose. Bringing her fingers back to golden tresses, she continued to explore their silky texture.

"Yeah, baby. She was healthy. She was perfect. She said you were stubborn and that she loved you. She helped me work through some issues I'd been avoiding. She was...she was amazing, Arizona."

Nodding, Arizona posed another question. "Was she in any pain?"

As before, her voice was soft and weak and barely more than a whisper.

"No, she wasn't, _mariposa_. She was lively and active and inquisitive. Where she is, she doesn't know much of sorrow, honey. She misses you, but she's not sad or sick or in pain. She's okay."

Another several minutes passed with both Callie and Arizona tracing their fingers over the other's skin. Both were comfortable and at ease with one another. A gurgle by Daniella caused both of their eyes to look in her direction, but, upon noticing their child was okay, their previous complacency resumed.

Arizona thought about everything Callie had told her. As hard as it still was for her to believe matters, she found herself experiencing a deep sense of peace in knowing that Hannah was okay. Something Callie mentioned replayed in her mind and caused her a moment's pause.

"Wait a minute. You said Hannah helped you work through issues? What issues?" she inquired.

Callie sighed and shifted in their bed. She was tired and knew that she would have to be up again soon to feed Daniella. As much as she wanted to continue talking with Arizona, she knew certain conversations were going to have to wait. There were only so many heavy, emotionally exhausting, revelations she could undergo in one night.

"We'll talk more in the morning, baby. I'm tired. Daniella's going to need to be feed again soon. Let's try to sleep, okay?"

"Callie-"Arizona protested.

"We'll talk more. I promise. I'll tell you everything about Hannah, okay? But, for right now, let's just sleep while we can."

Arizona reared up on her right elbow and looked down at Callie. The Latina's eyes were already closed and her fingers had come to rest against her back. Bending down, she placed a whisper of a kiss on the tip of Callie's nose before moving lower and giving her lips the same caress.

"Okay." she said. "I love you."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Callie's full lips.

"Love you, too." she mumbled.


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43:**

**A/N:** There's a bit of a time jump this chapter. Apart from fluffy, cutesy moments in the past events, there was very little else for me to focus on that wouldn't drag the story out. The events of this update have been hinted at from several, several different chapters over the course of the story. The culmination of both story lines is closing in. As much as I would have loved to write more of the baby/family bonding moments in the past sequences, the story's length and material would have, in my opinion, left things feeling put off and transitory. Certain issues have yet to be addressed in the present day events. This chapter and the one after it will conclude the past parts of the story. From there, the present day events(and yes, FunkyShaz, sexy time will happen! lol) will be the focus until I conclude matters and end the story. Jeez, these notes are getting longer and longer, aren't they? Anyway, enough of that. Read on and enjoy. Leave me comment love if you approve!

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**-1 day before Prologue events-**

Callie was a woman who knew her own shortcomings and acknowledged her own insecurities. Being aware of those things, often, did little to ensure her any advantage over their sway. Her worries, fears, and feelings of deficiency were many.

For as long as she could remember, she'd had issues with her body. She'd fought with herself on her feelings of inadequacy and she'd yearned to be accepted and loved for the whole person that she knew she was. She knew she could be rash. She accepted that she was high maintenance. She openly admitted that she was competitive and enjoyed a challenge to the point of insanity.

She also knew she had a tendency to jump the gun when it came to her partnerships.

Callie Torres(Robbins) knew that she was the jealous type. These faults, flaws, and insecurities in her personality she was aware of and knew of greatly.

After a time, she'd managed to create a solid and fierce facade to protect herself. Her 'bad ass' reputation had been born of her need to not allow her insecurities to have too much of a hold over her everyday life. Over the years, it had served her well and become like a second skin to her.

The first crack in her armor had come from George, her late husband. With him, she'd hoped to have the love she'd always desired. She'd wanted a family with the man. Her vows to him, even though they had taken place at the Church of Elvis, had been important to her. She'd valued their meaning and cherished what they stood for.

George had not.

When she'd noticed him choosing his friends, choosing Izzie Stevens, over her time and time again, the start of her facade failing her had begun. She'd allowed George to get too close to her. She'd allowed him the opportunity to hurt her.

And, he had.

George had been cheating on her. Her, his wife, the woman he had married and vowed to love, honor, and respect. After George, her world had taken a turn for the worst. She'd slept with Mark, been confused, and wanted nothing more than for someone to save her.

Erica Hahn had turned out to be the second person to hurt her and further the crack that George had started in her aegis like guise. She'd thought a woman would be more sympathetic to her insecurities and her desire to find true love. Erica had been the most diversely complicated person she'd ever met. She'd been harsh and cold at times yet, at other times, she'd been scared and vulnerable and loving.

Callie hadn't been able to take Erica and her 'glasses'. She'd been trying to find and understand herself. So, when she'd felt her armor starting to crack, she'd, again, slept with Mark as a way to understand what it was she wanted.

In the end, she'd chosen Erica, but their tryst had ended in disaster and Erica had left without a goodbye. The sharp cut in her veneer had widened and she'd found herself falling with no end in sight. She'd felt unworthy. Unloved. Unwanted.

George had cheated on her.

Erica had abandoned her.

Her feelings of not being good enough had consumed her. She'd resigned herself to just sleeping with Mark so she wouldn't have to feel so alone, but then he and Lexie had become a hot item and, once again, she'd been left alone.

When she'd been at her lowest, at her absolute worst, a woman with amazing blue eyes had followed her into a bathroom and spoken of her interest.

Arizona Robbins had caught her when she'd felt as if no one even knew she was falling. A woman she'd never seen before had offered her a life line and she'd taken it. Someone had seen her. Someone had been interested.

She'd never expected to fall so, nearly painfully, in love with Arizona. One date had turned into a second date and then a third. Every minute spent with the blonde had been a much needed breath of fresh air for Callie. She'd seen the world the way she'd always wanted to believe it could be.

After she and Arizona had slept together, she'd known her feelings were too strong, too soon. The crack in her facade had healed, somewhat, during her time with Arizona, but she'd known it was still lurking beneath the surface waiting for the universe to steal away her happiness.

The baby issue had very nearly brought about her worst fears, but she and Arizona had weathered the storm and become even closer. Everything since those events had only raised her higher on cloud nine.

She'd gotten married.

Again.

It had been real and true. She hadn't been drunk when she'd said her vows to Arizona. She hadn't been gambling when she'd made her promises. Her relationship with Arizona hadn't been something she was hoping could provide her with what she so desperately craved. She'd been honest on her wedding day with Arizona.

In her wife, she'd found everything she'd been looking for. She'd found a friend. She'd found a confidante. She'd found someone who supported her and loved her and brought out the best parts of herself.

Arizona Robbins had given her her life back. She given her the missing pieces to herself and made her the Calliope Torres she'd always striven to be.

As if becoming a wife wasn't great enough, she'd also finally realized her dream of having children. The very woman she'd fallen in love with and married had agreed to start a family with her. She was pregnant. She was happy.

She was no longer hiding behind her facade, her safety net.

Yet, all good things, naturally, had to come to an end, right?

Everyone left her. Some took longer than others but, eventually, they all left.

Was it not, then, only a matter of time before the fates or the universe or the scales of balance took Arizona from her?

If that happened, where would she find herself? She'd made herself completely bare with Arizona. There was no sheath of protection surrounding her if things turned south.

She'd be alone. Truly alone.

* * *

Interpretation was a concept that brought to life artistic works of the creatively inclined. Music, art, poetry, and dance were but a few of the endeavors individuals chose to elucidate. Perception played a key role in how a person interpreted any given amount of data or sensory challenge.

Like all things in life, perception allowed people to offer their thoughts based on what they believed to be true. One person's perception could, and would, vary greatly from another's based solely on how they chose to explicate what they'd seen, heard, or experienced.

Life and every day happenings were, so too, scrutinized and taken apart so as to understand and validate them to those who sought answers. Interpretation, elucidation, and perception; concepts used at times to experience the wonders of the creative arts, could also be used to detect and weed out dishonesty, grief, and deceit. How a person came to their answers, and whether or not the answers found were, indeed, truth, was a matter of...

Perception.

The very tools used to epitomize deductive thought and reasoning ended up being the same traps that lay in waiting at the end of any convoluted conclusions. A cycle was created that could ensnare the senses and trap those that set out to find answers.

What was the truth?

How did one know the truth was the truth?

How did one know what they knew?

Interpreting facts, data, and information; elucidating the outcome, using one's perceptions to validate the 'truth' all meant very little if one had to start the process over again to understand and believe the answer found.

Destruction was the only path attained at the end of the road for those who were unwilling to believe. To have faith. To trust.

Whether or not that belief, faith, and trust were placed in oneself, another person, or a god mattered little.

Too many questions could overload the mind and weaken the foundations of a person's _Weltanschauung_.

At the end of any given day, a person had either to accept certain happenings as truth or start on the long, confusing, path of trying to over-explain matters.

It was all a matter of perception.

And perception rarely came without misunderstanding.

* * *

"Okay, Karev, check up on the Hilton kid one more time for me and then prepare to scrub in on my 7:30 surgery. I've got 30 minutes to kill so I'm going to sign off on a few of my charts. Kepner, keep a close eye on Braggins' heart murmur. Page Teddy if anything changes."

Arizona watched her residents nod and walk down the hallway in opposite directions. She just needed to stay focused enough for one last surgery and then she could retire to the comfort of her home and the warmth of her wife's body. Callie's headaches had reached a point to where she was hoping to get Lucy and the Chief to sign off on an early maternity leave.

She knew Callie would never agree to such a thing, but she hoped her Robbins' charm and super magic smile would persuade her.

Moving around the nurses' desk, she grabbed a few of her charts and was about to head to her office when a voice caught her attention.

"Dr. Robbins. I was hoping we could talk for a minute?"

Looking up, Arizona came face to face with the owner of the, decidedly, unwanted voice.

"Uh, I can't, Dr. Fields. Surgery. Sorry."

As she turned to make her way to her office, a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Arizona. Please. I checked the board. You have some time to spare. This is important."

Looking down, Arizona noticed Lucy's fingers were still wrapped around her wrist. Licking her lips and sighing, she brought her eyes back up to the other woman's.

"Fine. Whatever. Make it fast. I do have surgery soon."

Lucy relaxed and exhaled. Stepping closer to Arizona, she opened her mouth, but was stopped by stormy blue eyes. Smiling shyly, she tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear and tried again.

"I just...I'm really, really, sorry for how I-"

"I know, okay. You've said that._ A lot_. It's old news, Lucy. Look, I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of Callie, maybe, taking an extended maternity leave. Her headaches have gotten pretty bad. She has one every day. I'm worried about her."

Lucy nodded slowly as her eyes fell. Shoving her hands into her jacket pockets, she rocked back on the balls of her feet. Their conversation was still young and, yet, she could already tell that it was going to be difficult to say what she had come to say. Arizona was cutting her off and not allowing her a moment to complete a thought.

"Oh." she said, halfheartedly, hoping the insufficient response would startle the other woman so that she could express what she needed to.

Arizona raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? That's all you have to say? I can't handle this. If your.._.feelings_ for me or whatever are going to interfere with how you treat my wife and my daughter, then we need to find someone else."

Again, a hand reached for Arizona and landed on her elbow. Lucy shook her head, vehemently, and squeezed Arizona's arm.

"No...no. I'll talk to her about it. I promise. You should, too. Her headaches, her nausea, her body pains and bp spikes...they're all common with first time pregnancy, but you're right. If you'd feel better having her take an extended leave, then I'll okay it. That's actually what I wanted to-"

Arizona nodded and looked up to meet Lucy's gaze before cutting her off again.

"Okay, thank you. Can I go now? I really need to take a look at these charts."

Sighing, Lucy removed her hand from Arizona's elbow and regarded her sadly.

"I want us to be friends, Arizona. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the tension pie we have yet to cut between us but I said I was sorry. I made a phone call and managed to get-"

"You should have thought about that before you dismissed my marriage and my wife. I've remained civil and professional..."

From across the hall, an uneasy onlooker took in the series of events before them. Words spoken were hard to make out, but the touches and glares were easy to spot. Callie felt her stomach tighten for reasons she couldn't name. The way Lucy was looking at Arizona was not, in any way, platonic. Every time her fingers grazed her partner's body, a blaring hot wave of jealously threatened to blackout her senses.

She'd been coming to inform Arizona that her last surgery to oversee had been cancelled and that, as a result, Mark was going to drive her home. She'd not wanted to sit around the hospital waiting for Arizona's surgery to finish when she could have been relaxing in a hot tub.

Lucy's approach and her's and Arizona's subsequent conversation had glued her feet to the floor and kept her from doing anything else but watch the two of them. She noticed Arizona looked down and shake her head. Lucy stepped closer and ducked her head to keep eye contact. Words were spoken but not overheard by her.

She was about to make her presence known and demand an explanation when Arizona's head popped up quickly and a harsh, but rather loud, raspy whisper met her ears.

"Of course Callie doesn't know!"

Arizona exhaled sharply and looked around her. She failed to notice Callie. Lucy stepped away from her and their conversation continued only a minute more. Callie watched her wife start to storm away in the direction of her office, but Lucy's fingers flashed again and snatched the blonde's white coat. Before Callie could say anything, Dr. Fields dragged her wife a few paces down the hall and into an empty on-call room.

The loud clap as the door slammed shut reverberated throughout the ensuing silence.

Callie felt her heart racing madly in her chest. She felt as if she'd been struck across the face. Reaching out, her hand landed against a nearby wall and she grasped it for support.

What didn't she know?

Was something going on between Arizona and Lucy?

Was that the tension she'd noticed?

Had Arizona gone to Dr. Fields because the two of them hadn't been together, physically, the past couple of months?

Is that what their spat had just been about?

Was Lucy trying to stake her claim by forcing Arizona into an on-call room?

She thought Arizona understood her lack of a desire to make love. Between their work schedules, her headaches and nausea, and her body image issues the longer she was pregnant, the two of them had not made love in several months.

Had her wife slept with her O.B to alleviate her sexual urges?

Was there something wrong with the baby? Maybe she was jumping to conclusions, the wrong conclusions, and there was nothing going on between Arizona and Lucy.

If the baby was in danger, wouldn't Arizona have told her? Especially since she'd already lost one child? Was that the issue? Did Arizona not want this child? Was she having regrets? Was that what Callie didn't know?

Were that the case, why had Lucy just shoved Arizona into an empty space?

Why hadn't Arizona left the room already?

Nothing made sense. Arizona had been a dream throughout her pregnancy. She'd been the perfect spouse. Their daughter's nursery was complete and she'd agreed to take time off to help Callie with Daniella once she was born. No, things didn't add up.

Yet, she'd just witnessed Lucy with her hands all over Arizona. She'd seen the two of them standing closely together and talking in hushed whispers. Arizona's own words had struck her in the chest with such force, she'd felt the air leave her lungs.

She needed to talk to her wife. She needed answers and an explanation. Her mind was in overdrive and the number of questions swarming around her head were too many. Arizona was due in surgery in less than twenty minutes. She didn't have time to bring the issue to light.

Taking a deep breath, Callie tried to calm herself. That was the first step. She needed to relax and approach the subject objectively. Things could all have been taken out of context. She just needed a moment to collect herself. The longer the door remained shut, the deeper the knife in her heart seemed to sink.

She felt her throat trying to betray her as her breathing started to quicken. Her first impulse had been to barge into the room and throw her O.B into the hallway. She wanted to demand an explanation and, in some way, release the feelings of bitterness and anger and heartache that were threatening to break the surface.

That was what she would have done had she still possessed the hard-as-nails exterior she'd crafted pre-Arizona. That facade no longer resided with her. She'd shed it because she'd felt safe with Arizona. She'd not felt the need to hide or protect herself anymore.

Without her guise, her armor of protection, she was naked and vulnerable to the pain she was trying so hard to ignore. What would she find if she opened the door to that room? Did she want to risk seeing...whatever she would see if she confronted Arizona and Lucy?

Her heart, crying as it was, refused to believe that Arizona would hurt her in such a way. It continued to believe that matters were obscured and she was not seeing the whole picture. She tried to listen to her heart.

Nausea overwhelmed her and a sudden and painful throbbing started at her temples. She felt light headed and dizzy as she closed her eyes to steady herself.

"Hey, for a pregnant lady, you sure do get around. You ready to motor? I thought we could stop and get something to eat before we-"

Mark's words died in his throat when he saw his best friend slumped against the wall.

"Cal? You okay?" he asked, the change in his voice noticeable as he came to her side.

Callie nodded and exhaled again. Standing up she smiled at him and sighed.

"Um...yeah, yeah. I...I just...I don't feel so good. You have a date later. Just...j-just drop me off and...go...go to your date.." she struggled to form the words and maintain an unaffected air.

Mark reached for her and looked around them. Nurses went about their business, paying them little attention.

"Okay, sure, if that's what you want. You're sure you're okay? I can page Robbins if you need to-"

"_No_. I'm fine." Callie forced out, her voice edgy.

Taking Mark's hand, she allowed him to lead her away from the Ped's wing. She didn't need to talk to Arizona. Not right now, anyhow. She was hurt. She was mad. She was confused. As much as she _wanted_ to talk to Arizona, she knew she didn't_ need_ to.

She needed to organize her thoughts and attempt to gain a clear head. She needed to return to her home and try to relax. She'd never felt so many emotions at once and the sensation was leaving her with a sense of vertigo. She was hot and clammy. Her head was killing her. Her stomach was in knots and she couldn't seem to clear her vision.

When Arizona got home, she'd get her answers. One way or another, she'd learn the truth about everything.

* * *

"Well, as I live and breathe! Addison Montgomery! Girl, what on earth are you doing here?"

Addison smiled as she bent down to embrace the, much shorter, frame of Miranda Bailey. Her flight into Seattle had been uneventful. As soon as she'd landed, she'd made for SGMW without delay. After receiving a phone call a week before from Lucy Fields, she'd cleared her schedule and made for Washington as quickly as she could.

Lucy's call had worried her. The other woman had spoken of Callie's increasing headaches and high blood pressure. She'd told Addison about the pain Callie had mentioned to her in her upper abdomen and how it had seemed to be getting more intense.

Addison had not liked the sound of her friend's symptoms and had booked the earliest flight she could get. Wanting to surprise Callie, the red head had opted not to leak the details of her impromptu trip to anyone.

"Miranda. Good to see you. I decided to come and see everyone. Surprise!"

Bailey crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her jaw out. "Uh-huh...right."

Smiling, Addison pushed her glasses up her nose. "What? I can't come to Seattle to say hi and catch up?

"No, _you_ can't. Because you don't do that. _Ever_. Unless there's some big emergency or life or death situation that requires you to swoop in and save the day." Bailey retorted.

Addison opened her mouth to protest but closed it again when she realized that the shorter woman was correct.

"So, I'm left to conclude that you're here to save the day. I'm not aware of any cases that would require your skills so I'm guessing there's something up with Torres?" Miranda hinted, raising a dark eyebrow.

Walking further into the Attending's lounge, Addison dropped her luggage against a bench before sighing heavily and taking a seat.

"You haven't changed a bit, Miranda."

"Nope, I'm still the see all-know all Nazi. So, tell me what's going on with Callie. She was fine today. I just saw her leave with Mark."

Addison smiled and looked next to her where Bailey had joined her on the bench. It felt good to be surrounded by the familiar walls of Seattle Grace again.

"Well," she started, "That's what I'm here to find out. Dr. Fields called and told me Callie had been experiencing some severe headaches. Her blood pressure's been spiking and she's recently started experiencing pain in her upper abdomen. Lucy is...well, she's a good doctor, Miranda, but she's still young. I'm glad she called me. Callie's my friend and this pregnancy means a lot to both her and Arizona. I helped them to conceive." she ended with a small chuckle.

Bailey nodded but added nothing more.

"Alright. I'll page Dr. Fields and have her bring you Callie's chart so you can get up to speed."

"Thanks, Miranda. I guess I'll call Callie in the morning and let her know I'm here."

Standing up, Bailey walked towards the door of the lounge.

"In the meantime, you could get her skinny ass off that bench and walk with me on rounds. I don't want to hear about any of your freaky, personal business, but you can entertain me with useless anecdotes regarding your patients."

Laughing, Addison stood up and left the room with Miranda Bailey. Yes, it felt good to be back among the doctors who had become her friends during her stay in Seattle. Perhaps, after ensuring that Callie and the baby were okay, she could spend a few days catching up with her old colleagues.


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44:**

**A/N:** Here we are! After 40+ chapters, we finally learn about everything that lead up to the Prologue events. I'd strongly suggest(unless you're a stalker on my page) re-reading the prologue. I've hinted a several different bits and pieces throughout this story that will be brought to light, fully, in this update. This is the culmination of the past section of the story. The remaining chapters will focus in the present and concluding the story overall. A big thanks to everyone who has continued to read this very LONG fic.

* * *

**-1 hour before Prologue events-**

Arizona sighed and attempted to roll the tension from her shoulders. Her simple surgery had turned into a not so simple extra couple of hours in the O.R. By the time she'd finished the routine, scrubbed out, and headed to her office, it had been nearly eleven o'clock. After signing off on her charts, changing into her street clothes, and saying good night to her fellow doctors, midnight had been coming in to being.

As she stood on the steps outside her home, she, once again, found herself wanting nothing more than to take a long, hot, bath and snuggle up close to Callie. Sliding her key into the lock on the front door, she quietly slipped inside her house and eased the door shut. Darkness greeted her in the foyer.

"Callie?" she called, looking into the unforgiving black shadows around her.

Normally, she and Callie left a light on in the foyer and living room to illuminate the front area of the house. They both tried to ensure the other, if coming home late, was able to move about with a modicum of freedom. Seeing the depths of darkness surrounding her, Arizona's heart leaped into her heart.

Stepping further into the foyer, she made for the staircase in the right corner and stepped up the first few steps. A dull light could be seen, barely, emanating from the hallway on the second floor.

"Calliope?" Arizona called again. Her voice shook on the last syllable of her partner's name.

No response greeted her.

An icy sting of panic jarred her insides. Stepping back down into the foyer, Arizona quickly flipped on a light to bring brightness to the darkened room. Secure in the illumination, she proceeded up the stairs two at a time until her feet landed on the second level of their home. The light she'd noticed a moment before shone on the carpet to her right. Following it's trajectory, her eyes came to rest on the door to Daniella's nursery.

Had something happened to Callie and the baby?

Not stopping to process the risks and possibilities of what could have happened to her wife and child, Arizona rushed to the door and threw it open. She wasn't sure if she'd find a robber in the room, a murderer, or her sleeping partner. She didn't care. Callie hadn't left a light on for her and she hadn't answered her calling her name.

Something was wrong. That was all she knew.

As she came to stop in the middle of the room, her eyes scanned the space quickly to assess any potential danger. They landed on Callie sitting in the rocking chair to her left.

The other woman's skin was pale and her eyes were red and puffy. Arizona noticed beads of sweat along her chest and hair line.

"Baby, oh God, are you okay? What's wrong? I called for you."

Arizona's words were laced with panic as she moved towards Callie. When she reached her, she knelt down to run her fingers over her face, but Callie jerked her head away.

_"Don't!_" she rasped, harshly.

Stepping back, Arizona lowered her eyebrows. Callie sounded angry. She took in her demeanor again and noticed her chest was heaving and her eyes are darker than normal.

"Callie? What's wrong?" she asked, cautiously.

"How could you?" Callie countered with a question of her own.

She had tried to remain calm. She had tried to relax and think things over so as not to form any rash conclusions. As the hours had ticked by and Arizona had remained at the hospital, Callie had found herself becoming more and more angry. Her headache had started out as a regular and steady thump at her temples, but the longer Arizona had stayed away, the worse it had become.

She could barely focus on her partner's features her head hurt so much. Every time she breathed, she felt the ache throughout her skull intensify. It was blinding and nauseating. She was hot. She felt sick. Her mind had been racing and the longer it had been running, the worse her body had started to feel.

As a doctor, she knew something was wrong, but she'd been in too much pain and turmoil, emotional turmoil, to come to any sound decisions.

Now, her wife, the woman she now knew was cheating on her, was standing before her acting concerned. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen and she hissed through her teeth as her eyes closed. Her hand landed against her stomach.

"Callie, get up. I don't know why you're upset, but we're going to the hospital. Your headaches, heartburn, nausea and now this abdominal tenderness points to something serious. We're leaving." Arizona said, again trying to reach for her.

Callie's breathing was heavy and her skin was flushed. Arizona could tell, by looking at her, that she had a headache. The gasp she'd just released had scared the blonde. Something was wrong with Callie and their baby.

"Come on, baby." she said, hand landing on top of Callie's.

"Don't touch me!" Callie screamed, slapping at her hand with surprising force.

The Latina sucked in another sharp breath and groaned as an unfamiliar pain tore through her body. Her eyes, still closed, scrunched with her massive discomfort.

Arizona was at a loss. She didn't know why Callie was acting the way she was. Her anger was directed towards her. She couldn't understand why. All she did know, at that moment, was that Callie was in pain. Tremendous pain. Whatever else she was upset about didn't matter. They needed to get to the hospital and find out what was causing Callie's discomfort.

"Is this what you do?" Callie croaked out. Her eyes were barely open and she was attempting to breathe through her nose.

Arizona just looked at her, confused.

"Am I another Terri? Is this baby, " she said, indicating her stomach, "just another Hannah? You make people, " she sucked in another sharp breath and closed her eyes before opening them again, "you make people fall in love with you and then leave them?"

"Calliope, I haven't left you. You're more than Terri ever was. This baby is _our_ baby. You know how much she means to me."

Arizona's words were slow and deliberate. Holding her hands out in front of her, she tried to walk back towards Callie.

A low, throaty, and humorless chuckle sounded in the room. Callie licked her lips and shook her head.

"I trusted you. Was I not enough? Were you repulsed by me?" she asked still holding her hand to her abdomen. Sweat was running down her neck and chest. A part of her knew her questions were baseless. A part of her wished she could shut herself up, but she was in pain and she was angry. Lashing out at Arizona was the only outlet she had.

"Callie, this can wait. Whatever it is, it can wait, baby. You're sick. Okay? Something could be wrong with the baby. We need to go to the hospital." Arizona tried again.

"Why?" Callie yelled. "So you can see your little girlfriend, again? So you can sneak into an on-call room with Dr. Fields and leave me wondering where you are?"

Arizona stopped and came up short. She felt Callie's words collide into her chest and slam against her heart. Her face must have mirrored her shock because Callie's eyes widened and she bit her lip. Tears formed in her dark eyes.

"D-did Mark say something? Did he tell you-" Arizona started, but Callie cut her off.

"Mark? Mark knew? Was he...w-was he y-your wing man? He m-made sure...t-that n-no one-"her words were swallowed by a deep moan. It was becoming harder to focus on anything other than the pain in her head and the rips of agony tearing across her mid-section. The room was starting to spin so she closed her eyes and struggled to form her thoughts.

"I k-knew...s-something was...w-wrong. I asked...you..a-about Mark. I-I...asked you about...L-Lucy. You lied to me...a-and I-" she laughed again, "I...b-believed you."

Walking over to Callie, Arizona knelt down between her legs and placed her hands on her thighs.

"Callie, now is _not_ the time for this! Nothing happened between Lucy and I. I was going to tell you about things, but I didn't want this to happen. We have to go, baby. I'm calling an ambulance."

As she stood up and turned away from Callie, Arizona felt her heart racing in her chest. She wasn't sure how Callie had found out about Lucy, but she wasn't going to waste time trying to figure it out. She'd worked so hard to avoid this scenario and, despite her best efforts, it had come to fruition regardless.

Pulling her cellphone out of her pocket, she was about to call for an ambulance when Callie's voice stopped her.

"I saw you. I-I saw her...p-p-pull you into an on-call room t-t-tonight. I saw it, A-Arizona. Don't l-lie to me."

Arizona slowly turned back around to face Callie and saw her lover's face drawn up in distraught. Though anger was easily detected, Arizona could also make out pain and dismay. Callie's face spoke of betrayal. The blonde, now, knew what had caused her wife to become so upset. Comprehension spread throughout her mind and brought her understanding.

* * *

_"Dr. Robbins. I was hoping we could talk for a minute?"_

_Arizona groaned, internally. Of all the voices belonging to all the people inside Seattle Grace Mercy West, the voice she'd just heard was the last one she wanted to hear._

_Ever since Lucy had made a pass at her months before, the other woman had continued to go out of her way to apologize for her actions. Arizona had accepted the apology and tried to move forward with her life. She remained professional with Dr. Fields and spoke to her civilly whenever circumstances dictated she do so._

_Lucy wanted more. She continually spouted her' I'm sorry' speech in the futile hope of the two of them, somehow, becoming future bosom buddies. It annoyed her. It also annoyed her that Lucy seemed unable to be around Callie during her appointments without acting nervous and uneasy. Callie had noticed the behavior so it hadn't been just her._

_"Uh, I can't, Dr. Fields. Surgery. Sorry."_

_She just needed to get to her office. The last thing she wanted to undergo was another heart felt apology from her wife's OBGYN. She knew how badly Lucy felt. She'd forgiven her, mostly, for her advances, but she couldn't give the other woman what she wanted._

_"Arizona. Please. I checked the board. You have some time to spare. This is important."_

_Of course it was important, Arizona thought. It was always important. God, she couldn't deal with Lucy at the moment. She had a surgery to get to soon and all she wanted to do was ace it and go home to Callie. The two of them hadn't had much time to spend together lately. With Arizona's work schedule conflicting with Callie's, not to mention Callie's increasing headaches and pains, quality time had been hard to come by._

_"Fine. Whatever. Make it fast. I do have surgery soon."_

_"I just...I'm really, really, sorry for how I-"_

_And there it was. Another apology. How many attempts was Lucy going to make? What response did she want Arizona to give her? Lucy was Callie's O.B. That was it. There was never going to be anything more between the two of them. All she wanted from Lucy was for her to do her job and care for her wife and unborn child._

_Speaking of..._

_"I know, okay. You've said that. A lot. It's old news, Lucy. Look, I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of Callie, maybe, taking an extended maternity leave. Her headaches have gotten pretty bad. She has one every day. I'm worried about her."_

_"Oh."_

_Arizona mentally scoffed at Lucy's lack-luster response. This woman was Callie's doctor and the only response she could come up with to Arizona's concerns was, 'Oh'?_

_"Oh? That's all you have to say? I can't handle this. If your...feelings for me or whatever are going to interfere with how you treat my wife and my daughter, then we need to find someone else."_

_When Lucy's hand connected with her body again, it stopped her from walking away._

_"No...no. I'll talk to her about it. I promise. You should, too. Her headaches, her nausea, her body pains and bp spikes...they're all common with first time pregnancy, but you're right. If you'd feel better having her take an extended leave, then I'll okay it. That's actually what I wanted to-"_

_Anything else Lucy wanted to say, Arizona knew she didn't want to hear it. She could just imagine the other woman using matters as an advantageous ploy to further her own agenda._

_"Okay, thank you. Can I go now? I really need to take a look at these charts."_

_"I want us to be friends, Arizona. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the tension pie we have yet to cut between us but I said I was sorry. I made a phone call and managed to get-"_

_She knew it! There it was. Lucy was more concerned with alleviating the awkwardness between them than she was in doing what was best for her patient. Arizona had put up with enough._

_"You should have thought about that before you dismissed my marriage and my wife. I've remained civil and professional. I've forgiven you as best as I can. I've had to keep this from Callie because I've been so worried about how she'd react if she found out."_

_Arizona lowered her head and sighed. Lucy stepped up closer to her and lowered her own head to try an maintain contact._

_"Wait, you didn't say anything to Callie? She doesn't know?"_

_"Of course Callie doesn't know!" Arizona replied, slightly louder than she'd intended._

_Looking around her briefly, she exhaled and regarded Lucy again. The taller woman stepped out of her personal space._

_"Here I've been awkward around her because I thought she knew. I've been waiting on her to kick my ass or something." Lucy said with a chuckle._

_"Glad you find matters amusing." Arizona retorted._

_"Look, we do need to talk. I have news for you that I think you're going to want to hear."_

_Rolling her eyes, Arizona shook her head. "I don't have time. I have surgery and I want to get home so I can spend some time with Callie."_

_Turning around, she tried to leave and head for her office, but strong fingers caught inside her coat and stopped her in her tracks. Lucy didn't give her time to protest as she tugged on the material of her white jacket and guided her down the hall. Before she could object, the other doctor shoved her into an on-call room and slammed the door shut behind them._

_"Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you doing?" Arizona yelled as soon as she had control over her own movements again._

_Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and stood in front of the door._

_"You are so god damn self important! Did you know that that?" she asked, fury in her voice._

_Arizona scoffed at her._

_"Excuse me?" she asked offended._

_"You are! This here," she gestured between the two of them, "this isn't what I wanted to discuss. I know how you feel. I respect it and I've said I was sorry. If you'd get off your high horse for one fucking minute, you'd realize what I've been trying to tell you!" Lucy yelled back._

_Stunned to the point of silence, Arizona could only stare in abject confusion at the the tall and slender woman before her. At her lack of a response, Lucy nodded to herself and relaxed a bit._

_"Okay." she said to herself. "That got your attention."_

_"What do you want, Lucy? Is there something you're not telling me about Callie's condition? Is something wrong with the baby?"_

_"No, there's nothing wrong. A-At least I don't think so."_

_Arizona furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"_

_"I called Dr. Montgomery last week. We've been keeping in touch so I could appraise of her how Callie's been progressing."_

_At Arizona's shocked expression, Lucy elaborated. "I thought it was something you guys would want me to do. Anyway, Callie's headaches and bp spikes have, though fairly common, caused me some concern. I called Dr. Montgomery and she agreed to come to Seattle and stay the last month of Dr. Torres' pregnancy."_

_After a brief pause to take in Arizona's reaction, she continued, "I thought you guys would like her to deliver the baby. She called me a little while ago and told me she should be landing soon."_

_"Landing soon?" Arizona asked, dumbly._

_"Yeah, she should be here. Tonight."_

_The sound of a pager going off startled both women. Lucy looked down to the device attached to her hip and then back up at Arizona._

_"Sorry, it's Bailey. Give me a minute." she said, reaching for the wall phone next to the door._

_Arizona listened to the one sided conversation and felt her self righteous bubble starting to deflate. She'd treated Lucy horribly and all the other woman had wanted was a moment of her time to discuss her wife's condition. Here she'd been questioning Lucy's motives and she'd been thinking of Callie the entire time._

_"Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks."_

_Looking up from her thoughts, Arizona watched Lucy return the receiver to its dock and turn back around to face her._

_"Addison just landed. She's here, at the hospital. Bailey wants me to get Callie's chart so Dr. Montgomery can get caught up on her case."_

_Arizona nodded, mutely._

_"She also wanted me to tell you that she saw Callie leaving a minute ago with Dr. Sloan. Her last surgery was cancelled so he took her home."_

_Swallowing, Arizona absorbed the information and placed her hands on her hips. She felt like an idiot. An asinine idiot._

_"Okay. Um, th-thanks. Thank you. For everything. I-I'm sorry. I've been under a lot of stress lately and I-"_

_Lucy stopped her with a hand in the air. "Don't. It's been a tough situation. Addison is here now so I'm going to release Dr. Torres into her care. Consider her on maternity leave as of now. That's my last official act as her doctor."_

_Arizona smiled and nodded. She watched Lucy step aside and open the door for her._

_"You'd better hurry and get ready for your surgery."_

* * *

"Callie, honey, you don't understand. Lucy pulled me into the on-call room to-"

"Stop!" Callie yelled again. Tears were visible on her face. "I don't...I d-don't want to h-hear about it."

Before Arizona could offer a worthy counter argument, Callie forced herself out of the rocking chair. She swayed and nearly lost her balance, but Arizona moved to steady her, despite Callie's attempts to fight her off.

"You...y-you can go." Callie managed to say. She reached for the bands resting on her left ring finger and swiftly tugged them off. "T-this...didn't m-mean any...thing so-s-so you can go."

Arizona's face fell when Callie pushed her away from her and threw the rings at her feet. She couldn't believe how quickly things were spinning out of her control. Callie was acting irrational and nothing she could say or do was going to make a difference.

"Calliope..._no_." she said past her own rising emotions before she bent down to pick the rings up from the floor. Tucking them into her pants pocket, she walked towards Callie again.

"I'm going to call an ambulance, okay? You need to sit down and try to relax. You've gotten yourself worked up for nothing, Calliope, but it's okay. I'm here. I'm going to take care of you."

Callie made to step away from her but a wave of disorienting vertigo nearly caused her to lose her balance. Gripping the chair with one hand, she was grateful when she felt a familiar arm wrap around her waist. Opening her eyes, she looked down at Arizona. She felt sick. Sicker than she could ever recall. The harder she tried to focus on...anything, the worse she felt. She could feel herself slipping, but she knew not where she was falling.

"Arizona?" she pleaded with wide eyes. Her hand grasped, still, at her abdomen as another, more severe, pain threatened to topple the two of them.

"I've got you." Arizona repeated, reaching for her cell phone once again.

_"Mariposa...mi mariposa_...butterfly...I'm...Arizona..."

Callie's speech was slurred and barely recognizable. Her weight was resting, nearly fully, on Arizona's slim shoulders. The blonde struggled to support her and dial for an ambulance at the same time.

A series of deep, pained moans reached her ears as Callie sagged against her and cried at the pain she was enduring.

"Callie?" Arizona's voice cracked and wavered and she realized she,too, was crying. Events were spinning and moving so fast she couldn't keep up with them. All she'd wanted to do was protect Callie. All she wanted to do was come home to her tonight and enjoy her company.

Looking down at the body weighing against her left side, Arizona felt her phone fall from her grasp as she moved around to support Callie with both arms. Dark, fearful, eyes managed to open and focus on her.

"Callie? Callie? No, no, baby. Stay with me." she cried as she lowered the two of them to the floor.

Before Callie lost consciousness, her shaky voice left her lips with a final message.

"Arizona..._mariposa_...something's wrong."

Callie's head lolled to the side and her eyes rolled into her skull. Her body went limp in Arizona's arms as she lost the battle she'd been having with her mind all night. Frantic and scared beyond normal human limits, Arizona reached for her phone and finally managed to call for help.

She noticed, resting on Callie's right wrist, a portable blood pressure monitor tester. Grabbing her partner's arm, she brought the face of the device to eye level.

140 over 90.

She was unsure of when Callie had last taken her blood pressure and how accurate the results staring back at her were. Briefly, she thought of testing it again, but judging by Callie's unconscious state, it seemed rather frivolous.

Her hands moved over Callie's body trying to determine the cause of her collapse. Callie's skin was hot, feverish, and clammy. Sweat had formed at her hair line as well as across her throat and chest. Pressing her fingers against her partner's neck, Arizona swallowed and tried to calm herself enough to feel her pulse.

It was weak.

"No...baby...please. No. I'm sorry. I love you...Callie...please." she cried, rocking on the floor.

Her left hand moved down Callie's body and landed against her swollen stomach. She wished Daniella would move or kick so that she would know that her daughter was okay. In her terrified state, she didn't think to move to her bedroom to retrieve her medical bag. She wasn't thinking like a doctor. She was unable to.

Her mind was thinking like a wife.

Like a mother.

Both were scared.

"Please stay with me...please...Calliope...don't leave me. We're having a baby...please." she cried against Callie's face and neck as she held her closely to her.

The sick irony of her situation was no lost on her. In her desire to protect Callie from just such an occurrence, her tight upper lip had, in fact, been the cause of Callie's frenzied state of mine. Her misconceptions, coupled with her pregnancy hormones, had come together to create a volatile mix. The rational side of her tried to argue in her defense. It informed her that Callie's blood pressure and headaches had been issues during her entire pregnancy and that anything could have caused the events of tonight.

As sound as the defense was, it did absolutely nothing to appease her terrified and less rational self.

Whispers, unintelligible and hoarse, floated to her ears.

_"Mar...Mari._..fly...bu...fly...mi...Ar...zon..._mariposa_...need...y...ou...

Crying and shaking with the force of her emotions, Arizona cradled Callie's head against her chest and rocked in a steady motion to calm herself. She was vaguely aware of sounds and commotion coming from down stairs. The part of her mind that was still able to process information in an efficient manner informed her that what she was hearing was most likely the E..

"_Please...please...please_." Arizona whispered over and over ag


	46. Chapter 45

**A/N**: I suck! I know! This update is so late it's ridiculous! It ended up being A LOT longer than I wanted it to be but the length was necessary as I had so many loose ends to tie up. As it turns out, this chapter is pretty dialogue-y. It's not my favorite. Frankly, I think it sucks, but like I said, it's needed. This story should only have another chapter or so. Again, I want to thank everyone who has read and commented. I really adore hearing everyone's thoughts and opinions. So, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this story. It means a lot!

* * *

To ACGrey'sFan- I was unaware that the last few letters of the last chapter had cut off. It just ended with "...Arizona whispered over and over again."  
To the slew of others who have read and reviewed and continued to love this story, thank you sooo much! I'll thank you individually at the end of this! lol!

* * *

**-Present Day-(One week later)**

Callie opened her front door and turned to wave at Teddy before entering her home and locking the hatch. Her eyes scanned the area around her for any sign of Arizona. Twirling her keyring around her finger, she made for the staircase.

After taking a few steps, her ears picked up on a catchy beat coming from her bedroom. When she made it to the top floor, a woman's voice, full and rich with a slight raspy quality, joined the music she'd heard before. Smiling, Callie walked towards the door to her room and slowly opened it.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the back of her wife. Arizona was slowly swaying in time to the beat of the music around her. In her arms, snuggled close and secure, was a sleeping Daniella. Callie's eyes softened when Arizona turned slightly and afforded her a view of her profile. The blonde's eyes were closed. Callie watched her rub her cheek softly against Daniella's forehead before allowing her lips to whisper their love in kind.

How she ever could have been afraid that Arizona wouldn't love or connect with Daniella was beyond her now. She almost felt guilty watching the two of them as she was. The song around her, completely unknown, continued to play its upbeat and pop like tones.

Slowly, Arizona turned towards her and opened blue eyes. Callie smiled.

"Hi." she said softly.

"Hey." Arizona replied back in the same tone of voice.

_'With every beat of my heart_

_I keep gettin' closer to you_

_With every beat of my heart_

_Now I know we're gettin closer to love_

_With every beat_'

The woman's haunting voice brought the words of the song to Callie's ears and she smiled. Keeping her gaze on Arizona, she noticed a similar smile on her perfect lips. Walking into the room, she sat herself on the bed.

"Who is this? It doesn't sound familiar at all." she asked Arizona.

The blonde woman smiled, knowingly, and swayed a few more moments with Daniella in her arms.

"You wouldn't know who this is...not with that mess you listen to."

Callie laughed and continued to watch Arizona with their daughter. It was a sight she thought she'd never get to witness. After everything the two of them had been through, she couldn't imagine a better ending than the sight before her. Daniella's dark skin against Arizona's fair coloring was more beautiful than Callie could describe.

"It's Taylor Dayne, _'With every beat of my heart'_. The song came out in '89." she elaborated as the song finished and then started to play again, obviously on repeat.

Nodding, Callie said, "I like it."

"So do I. It was my song for us for a long time."

"Really?"

Arizona walked over and passed Daniella into Callie's arms. The infant's face scrunched up a moment at being moved, but the look quickly faded when she sensed Callie's presence. Kissing Daniella's nose, Callie couldn't help the wide smile that overcame her face whenever she held her daughter.

A warm body next to her told her that Arizona had seated herself beside here.

"Yes, really. The words to this song just seemed to fit with how I was feeling at the time." Arizona said, continuing their conversation. "On that some note, another song of hers,_ 'Tell it to my_ _heart'_, was also a great way to sum up how I was feeling."

"I'll have to listen to it then." Callie replied, her eyes still looking at Daniella and her voice taking on a softer cadence.

For several minutes, the three remained together in silence, the only sound being that of Taylor Dayne's powerful voice as it continued to play from the speakers. The sun, though not shining directly into the room, offered enough natural light to leave them all in a state of contented peace and serenity. Birds, the few that had not flown south for the winter, cast their winged shadows along the carpet as they flew past, while their songs spoke of a tranquility unknown to humans.

After a time, Callie inhaled deeply and broke their ruminative moment.

"I was afraid." she said in a sad voice.

Arizona regarded her curiously. "Um, of what? Your appointment today or Teddy's driving? I didn't want you driving yourself until you're cleared and she offered so I-"

"Not that." Callie interrupted before Arizona could work up her ramble any further.

"Oh, then what?"

Callie hesitated. Recent events in her life, both good and less than good, had shown her the truth of her much hidden thoughts and insecurities. Notions, fears, and wanderings of her mind had all been made real while she'd been in a coma. The parts of herself that she had viewed as less than savory were, now, her own realizations.

Speaking to Arizona about her fears regarding Hannah and Terri felt like taking a giant step backwards. They'd spoken of the issue, lightly, before and Arizona had done nothing, ever, to make her feel as if she were just a passing fascination. Yet, despite their declarations of love and devotion, she'd still felt insecure where certain parts of her relationship with Arizona were concerned.

Steeling herself against her sudden anxiety, Callie kept her eyes locked with Daniella's sleeping face and drew strength from her silent comfort.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't love her." she said in a shaky voice.

Arizona looked upon Callie, aghast, and tried to fully comprehend the words that had just been spoken to her. How could her wife think that she would ever be incapable of loving her own child?

"Wha-how could you ev-?" she started but was quickly cut off.

"Hannah" Callie offered in way of explanation.

The single word, the name, hung upon the air like a heavy cloud of smoke. Though it was the only part of Callie's sentence, it's weight was enough that Arizona understood the meaning behind it.

"You thought I wouldn't love our daughter because of Hannah and what happened with her?"

Callie sighed and continued to keep her eyes focused on Daniella sleeping soundly in her arms. She, somehow, found it easier to express the thoughts that had snuck about her mind for so long without looking directly at Arizona. Now that her fears had been thrust into the full light of day, she found herself feeling silly at ever having thought them to begin with.

"It's funny," she started, "how we react to and digest different kinds of information. When I first found out about Hannah, all I could think about was how horrible her loss must have been for you. I couldn't believe that you, my Arizona Robbins, had a child. At the time, helping you through your grief and trying to keep you from shutting me out and running away were the only things I could focus on. Then, Terri came to Seattle and she was _gorgeous_, Arizona."

Arizona opened her mouth to say something, but Callie inhaled and continued speaking before she could utter a word.

"You were with her for seven years. _Seven!_ The two of you had a mansion of a home and were practically married with a wonderful little girl. Once things settled down, my mind just started playing all these cruel tricks on me. Try as I might, I couldn't seem to shake the fears they instilled in me."

Callie finally looked up and chanced a glance in Arizona's direction. Blue, steady, eyes were locked on her face.

"How did I know that I was any different? I thought I was and, deep down, I knew I was but I couldn't let that nagging voice in my head go. When we moved in here and started really building our life together, it just seemed to get worse. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I kept holding my breath for you to realize that the family life wasn't what you wanted."

Arizona couldn't believe everything she was hearing. It amazed her how she and Callie had lived side by side for over a year and, yet, she hadn't known about any of the fears Callie was, now, speaking of. It, slightly, upset her that her wife had still struggled with issues regarding her loyalty and conviction to the two of them. She didn't want to spend the rest of her years constantly convincing Callie of her love.

"But, you made all the plans, Arizona. You found this house. You helped to make it a home. You asked me to marry you and then went about ensuring that that dream became a reality for us. Even though I was the one with the aching womb, you were the one who approached me and started the process of her conception. It was all you, Arizona."

Something clicked in Arizona at the mention of Daniella's conception. A conversation from months before played out in her mind and she remembered a, near, desperate Callie asking her to consider using a Latino donor so that she could be the biological mother. Hearing Callie's insecurities made her realize why her partner had been so keen on the idea.

"You wanted me to be her mother because you thought that would make me care for her more." Arizona's words were presented as a statement as opposed to a question. Her voice was soft and unsure and carried with it a note of hurt.

Callie swallowed hard and looked back down at their daughter. She felt awful hearing the truth from Arizona's lips. It cheapened things to a certain degree and made her feel even more guilty at what her fears had driven her to do.

All she could do was nod and leave the matter for another discussion.

"I didn't want to end up being another Terri." she replied.

"Callie-"

"No! Just listen. I didn't want to wake up one day and find that the love of my life had left me. I didn't want to sit around like Terri did and wait for years on your return just to learn that you'd found someone else in another state. You were happy, Arizona. Terri was happy. It didn't last, though and I can't help that the situation caused me some concern. Hannah ended up representing the sum of my worries. As unfair as it is, my mind came to think of her as everything I stood to lose."

Arizona licked dry lips and ran her hand through her hair. The late morning sun warmed her back while the sound of the wind in the trees soothed her soul.

"I didn't even realize that I was so worried about things until I was in a coma." Callie said, a small laugh issuing from her mouth.

"Maybe that's why I saw Hannah. Your two children came to represent, in my mind, my fear and my hope, Arizona. Hannah was everything I was afraid of losing and Daniella," she looked down at the small baby against her chest, "she was my hope and my dreams. She was my belief that true love was real and that I had found it."

Silence engulfed the two of them for a moment. In its hush, both women absorbed and attempted to clarify everything that had just been said.

"I'm sorry." Callie whispered, leaning forward to kiss Daniella's little hand that was resting against her cheek.

Arizona scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Callie's shoulders.

"Calliope, listen to me. I would have loved any child I shared with you. Do you understand that? Even if Daniella was not my flesh and blood but yours, I would have adored her because she would have been a part of you. Hannah was special to me. She'll always hold a place in my heart, but that doesn't mean that I love Daniella any less, okay? Dani is special, too. She's my daughter with you, Callie. I almost lost the two of you and that terrified me more than anything."

Pausing, Arizona reeled in the better part of her emotions and continued.

"You and Daniella survived. You're both here and when I say that's all that matters, I mean it. You're my wife, Calliope. Terri and I may have been together for a longer period of time but we didn't share what you and I do. Time doesn't make a love any stronger. It doesn't hold sway over two people's hearts. Sometimes, it can be the one thing that ultimately ends up destroying a love. I loved you from day one, Calliope. You saved me after Hannah's loss. I tried to fight it because I couldn't believe the strength of my feelings for someone I barely knew."

Callie smiled and sniffed back her tears.

"But, love knows no boundaries. It cares little for time and human concepts such as right and wrong. It just is. I don't want to spend the rest of our marriage convincing you that you are it for me. I don't know what else I can do."

"There's nothing you can do,_ mariposa_. It's on me." Callie interrupted.

"I love you, Callie. I love our daughter. Terri played an important part in my life but that part is over. It has been over. She gave me Hannah. She talked me into having a child and, for that, I will always love her and be grateful. Hannah and Terri are my past. They both helped to shape who I am now."

Arizona lowered her head and attempted to catch Callie's eyes. When brown eyes met her own, she smiled warmly and spoke again.

"Who I am now, Calliope, is the woman you married and the person you love. That's all I want to be. Your wife and Daniella's mother. I'll miss Hannah everyday. I can't change that, but I'll also love you more everyday and I'll be amazed by our daughter more everyday. Those are promises, Callie. So,_ please_, let all that craziness in your beautiful head just take a rest, okay?"

Callie sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded while her eyes filled with happy tears. All the months of her nagging worries, fears, and insecurities were now nothing more than crazy thoughts and empty notions. She was surprised at how much weight she'd allowed them to give to her decisions. They, now, were nothing more than silly whims of a past lost forever to a dream.

Standing, she gave Arizona a bright and full smile.

"I'm going to go and feed her and lay her down. Why don't you run us a bath. I've really missed the feel of your skin."

Arizona blushed and nodded her acceptance of Callie's request. In truth, she was rather nervous at the idea of being nude, once again, with her partner. It had been a long while since the two of them had been intimate. Towards the end of Callie's pregnancy, the Latina had grown self-conscious of her body and had refused to let Arizona touch her. Apart from fleeting kisses and rushed touches, the two of them had not shared a tender and connecting, physical, moment for months.

"Okay." Arizona said, simply, and watched Callie carefully carry Daniella towards her nursery.

Alone in her thoughts, the blonde released a heavy breath and let her head drop between her shoulders. Things were slowly returning to normal and the two of them were adjusting to the new addition to their family. Life was, yet again, moving around her but she found herself feel stagnant and overwhelmed.

Callie had expressed her pain and sorrow, her guilt and worry, and her fears and hopes. She had trusted Arizona with her secrets.

Arizona knew she had to tell Callie about the night she'd been rushed to the hospital. After she'd broken down and cried in Callie's arms, Arizona had been stunned when her partner had stopped asking questions about the circumstances that had led to her extended stay. The days had passed and Callie had focused on getting better and trying to convince Arizona that she'd interacted with Hannah.

Once they'd returned home, their days had consisted of caring for Daniella and trying to snag what little sleep they could.

Now, Callie was mostly healed, they'd all moved to their respective rooms, and the world continued to spin. Everything was perfect.

Except for the knowledge Arizona was withholding from Callie.

A part of her saw no point in bringing the past to the dawn of a new day. She knew the truth and she believed Callie's behavior that night had been a mix of the fears she'd just expressed and the raging hormones ever present in a pregnant woman.

What could she hope to accomplish by telling Callie about that night?

She knew she'd never slept with Lucy or even contemplated doing so. Callie's fears had been baseless.

Yet, the other and larger part of her demanded that she not make the same mistake twice. She'd been trying to protect Callie before by not mentioning Lucy's advances and matters had still played out to ill effect. This was her second chance. Callie had a right to know about the missing pieces of her own life. If she found out in some other way, then she'd just come to assume that Arizona had been trying to hide it from the get go.

Exhaling and patting her legs, Arizona stood up and walked over to the bathroom. Slipping her shirt over her head, she allowed the garment to fall to the floor, forgotten, as she came to stand by the claw foot bathtub. She adjusted the water to the perfect temperature and added her favorite bath salts. The smell of sandalwood and cinnamon quickly filled the room.

When the water covered the bottom of the tub, Arizona removed her pants and under garments and lowered her body into the warm and enveloping heat. The sun had fallen prey to heavy cloud cover and a grey mist of rain could just barely be heard over the sound of running water.

For several minutes, Arizona rejoiced in the feeling that a simple bath could evoke. When the water reached an appropriate level, she turned off the faucets and closed her eyes again.

* * *

Some time later, her senses alerted her to a presence nearby. Opening her eyes, she jumped slightly at realizing Callie was at the foot of the tub, in front of the windows, watching her.

"You know it's weird to watch people bathe, right?" she joked.

Callie smirked and allowed her eyes to trace over the body she'd missed so much the last month. Arizona's perfection amazed her even to this day. It mattered not how many times she'd seen her wife naked. Every time was like the first time. Her breath was still stolen from her lungs and her heart skipped in an erratic beat.

"It's not weird if I'm watching my wife."

Arizona laughed and sat up in the water, exposing her wet chest. Splashing the water, she looked up into Callie's eyes.

"Come here."

Swallowing, visibly, Callie walked so that she could set the baby monitor on the counter. Arizona followed her movements and all was suddenly quiet.

With shaking hands, Callie reached for the hem of her shirt but hesitated. She'd never been shy around Arizona before. In fact, she'd loved the way her partner's eyes would change color when her skin was exposed. Now, however, was different. She had a scar from the emergency C-section Addison had been forced to perform. Her body was different.

Arizona, likely, had seen the scar and her body while she'd been in the hospital but that had been under varying circumstances. Standing, as she was, before the eyes of her wife, she knew Arizona would be looking upon her in an entirely new light.

Sighing, she lowered her eyes to the floor. Water sloshing around and the sound of wet feet against a tile floor caused her head to jerk back up almost immediately. Arizona stood before her, water cascading down her body and pooling at her feet on the floor. A sly smile adorned her lips.

"Don't." she said, taking Callie's hands and squeezing them in her own.

"I-I didn't even stop to think that we haven't been together since we got back home." Callie said meekly.

Bringing her hands to the bottom of her wife's shirt, Arizona stepped closer and bunched the material in her hands.

"I just want to see you, Calliope."

"I'm different now. The scar-"

"Is a part of who you are. It's barely visible and it's a reminder of what you went through to bring our daughter into the world. You're miraculous to me, Callie. Nothing, ever, will change that. Let me see you."

Pushing Callie's shirt up her stomach, she sighed when her wet fingers grazed over smooth and warm caramel skin. Callie held her arms up and allowed the blouse to be removed from her body in one easy motion. Arizona's fingers traced over her rib cage and along the underside of her bra clad breasts. Leaning forward, she let her lips kiss a protruding collar bone before moving her hands to the waist band of Callie's pants.

"I love this body." she whispered as her fingers undid the button of her partner's jeans and worked on sliding the zipper down.

A gasp left Callie's mouth at the sensation and she let her head fall forward to land on Arizona's shoulder. Placing her hands on the blonde's slim hips, she sighed and pulled her closer.

"I love you." Arizona said softly into Callie's ear before kissing the side of her neck.

"I love you, too, _mariposa_." Callie replied.

Before long, the coolness of the room began to affect Arizona's wet and nude form. Shivering, she stepped back and helped Callie out of her remaining clothing. Her eyes landed on the small vertical scar, still slightly raised and discolored, on Callie's lower stomach and she couldn't help but allow her fingers to tentatively move across it in reverence.

"You're beautiful." she said without looking back up.

Callie swallowed and smiled at her partner's words. The thought of Arizona being repulsed by her in any way had terrified her. Feeling the smaller woman's gentle and tender touch and hearing the soft and honest tone of voice she spoke in, quelled any fears she had over the issue.

Arizona stepped back and walked, once again, towards the bathtub. Lowering her body back into it's warmth, she sighed and waited for Callie to join her. After a moment of hesitation, Callie found her courage and settled herself with her back against Arizona's front.

The heated water felt wonderful to her tired body but the feeling of the soft form behind her made the bathing experience all the more enticing.

She couldn't contain the contented moan that left her lips when Arizona wrapped her arms around her waist and started to pepper the back of her neck and shoulders with soft, wet, kisses.

"That feels so good." she murmured as her eyes closed and her head rolled to the side to allow Arizona more room to move.

Running her nose along the side of Callie's neck, Arizona smiled and tightened the hold her arms had around her partner's middle. Wind and rain could be heard picking up in intensity from the world outside and the sun's rays fought a hopeless battle to remain alive and abundant. Despite the storm brewing on the other side of the window, Callie and Arizona found themselves more at peace with one another than they had been for weeks.

"We need to decorate the house." Arizona said against Callie's back.

"Hm?"

"Christmas is this month. We need to decorate and get a big, huge tree."

Callie turned in Arizona's arms so she could look into deep blue eyes.

"I can't believe I forgot." she said. "I knew it was December, but it never clicked for me that Christmas was so close."

Arizona laughed and nodded her head. "I know. We missed Thanksgiving with everything that was going on."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I was thankful for you and Daniella. The two of you were okay, so my holiday was splendid."

Silence.

"Let's go to the mall tomorrow. We'll take Dani and we'll shop and make a day of it." Callie said, lowering her body deeper into the warm water around her.

Arizona ran her fingers through Callie's hair and worked on wetting the thick locks.

"Okay." she said easily.

Again, the two of them fell into a companionable silence. Arizona washed Callie's hair, a favorite pastime of hers, while Callie softly ran her fingers over her partner's thighs and knees in an easy embrace. They each took turns bathing the other and stealing much needed kisses whenever they could.

When the water started to cool and their skin began to wrinkle, both women ended their mutual bath and helped each other to dry off. Wrapped in fluffy and comfortable bath robes, Callie and Arizona exited the bathroom and re-entered their bedroom. Arizona walked down the hall to check on Daniella and, upon seeing that her daughter slept without a hitch, returned to her room where Callie waited for her on the bed.

Outside, the rain had become a torrent and thunder rumbled in the distance. The afternoon sun had been suffocated by the thick, full and grey clouds that clung to the sky in the vain hope of prolonging their existence.

"She's still sleeping." Arizona said, rummaging through their dresser to find them each a change of clothes.

Pulling out two pairs of fleece sweat pants and a couple of hoodies, she tossed Callie's clothing to her and quickly dressed herself. She towel tried her hair and flopped, heavily, onto the bed.

Callie, already snuggling under their comforter, reached for Arizona and settled against her side. The tense set of her partner's body caught her attention quickly enough.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Arizona sighed. The time had come to tell Callie about the night she'd been taken to the E.R. It had been easy to forget about the issue hanging over her head while the two of them had talked, laughed, and bonded with their daughter. Spending a lazy morning in the bathtub had, also, helped to move the conversation she knew she had to have farther and farther away from her mind.

Looking up at the ceiling, she finally spoke.

"How much do you remember about the night I had to take you to the hospital?"

Callie sat up and looked down at her. Uncertainty was written across her face.

"Nothing, really." she started. "I remember a few bits and pieces from before, but nothing major."

"You can't remember anything from that night? Nothing at all?"

Scrunching her brow, Callie frowned and shook her head. "No. I remember being pregnant and happy with you. I remember our appointments, different surgeries I performed, shopping for Daniella's nursery...things like that. Then, nothing. The next thing I can recall is..."she paused and trailed off.

Arizona finally looked in her direction.

"Is what, Callie?"

Callie shook her head again, frustrated. "I-I can't remember, Arizona. There's different memories about being in a coma, Hannah, missing you and wanting only to see your face. I remember waking up, I think. You were singing to Dani or talking to her...it's unclear. I remember you crying and asking me questions and then everything's black again."

Arizona remained silent. It was obvious to her that Callie was retracing the footsteps of her memory. The Latina's gaze was fixed on a faraway spot on the wall and her voice was nearly monotonic in nature.

"Then...then, I remember waking up again and there was the breathing tube down my throat. You were asking me questions again and...wait, I remember, before that, you let me see Daniella, right?"

Arizona smiled and nodded.

"Everything after that is clear, Arizona. I remember some things vividly and others more vaguely, but the night I was rushed to the E.R is a total blank. It's like a wall."

Callie caught Arizona's eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me? Are you finally going to tell me what happened?"

Arizona sat up and crossed her legs in front of her. Taking a moment to organize her thoughts, she reached for Callie's hand and grasped it tightly.

"Calliope, that night was...I-" she stopped and swallowed the lump in her throat. Licking her lips, she attempted to try again.

"That night, you scared the hell out of me. I didn't know how to be a doctor that night. We'd gotten into an argument and you were so upset and nothing I said seemed to make any difference to you."

"An argument? What was it about?" Callie asked, clearly confused.

Arizona looked back down at Callie's hand and bit her lip.

"Callie, promise me that you'll let me explain everything when I tell you what happened. Promise me you won't get upset and jump to conclusions."

Squeezing the hand in her own, Callie nodded and agreed.

"We were arguing about Dr. Fields." Arizona began, looking back up and meeting Callie's eyes. She hoped the name would trigger some response from her partner but it didn't.

"Dr. Fields? What does she have to do with anything?"

"You thought I was sleeping with her." Arizona said without preamble.

Callie's sharp intake of air stung her ears.

Memories, distorted and without any chronological order attempted to flitter behind Callie's wide eyes. Visual images were too blurry to make sense, but a sudden heavy sensation filled her stomach and, with it, an association came to the words Arizona had just reveled.

It wasn't so much that she could remember anything specific to what Arizona had just told her, it was more the feeling that what she'd spoken was true and that she had, in fact, been of that belief.

"W-why...why did I think that?" she asked slowly, trying to remember whatever could have led her to believe that Arizona had cheated on her.

Arizona sighed sadly and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think, maybe, you saw us and jumped to the wrong conclusions. Maybe your hormones made something out of nothing. I'm not sure."

Callie was silent while her mind worked in overdrive to piece together the new bits of information she was receiving. Again, vague images assaulted her mind. A memory started to form. She saw Lucy grabbing Arizona's lab coat and pulling her into an on-call room. The image faded away but the sound of the door closing continued to ring in her ears.

"You slept with her..." Callie said, her voice possessing a near dream like quality. "She pulled you into a room and...that's-that's all I remember...she touched you. She was close to you and you..." her eyes, tear filled, looked back at Arizona. "You didn't come out. You stayed and...I think I...I think I just...I must have gone home. You slept-"

Arizona grabbed her chin and forced her to keep her eyes focused on her. "No! Stop it. Do you hear me? You promised me you wouldn't jump to conclusions. That event did happen that night, Callie, but you took the entire thing out of context."

Callie bit back the retort on her tongue and nodded. The gesture caused a lone tear to slip past her bottom lid and fall down her cheek. She hadn't meant to sound accusatory. The memory had become so stark and vivid that she'd gotten lost in it.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, shaking her head and looking down at the sheets between herself and Arizona.

Arizona scooted closer and pulled her face back up to eye level. Wiping away the remnants of the rogue tear, she grabbed the sides of Callie's face and looked her square in the eyes.

"Listen to me. This is the last time we're having a conversation like this. You can't keep accusing me of cheating on you, Callie. I understand you have issues, but so do I. I've always trusted you and believed in you. You have to be willing to extend the same courtesy."

Callie opened her mouth. "I-I do trust you. I do extend the sa-"

"No, you don't. You accused me of sleeping with Terri before and then you accused me of sleeping with Lucy. Callie, that night, you were beside yourself. You threw your wedding bands at me and told me to leave. That's the real reason I had them on that chain around my neck. You asked me if you were just another Terri. You accused me of making people fall in love with me only to leave them. The things you said hurt, Callie. I've done nothing but support you and love you. I've been loyal and faithful and devoted to only you."

Callie felt awful. Arizona was right. She had questioned her fidelity more than once. She knew how tiring it was having to defend her own position where Mark had been concerned at the early stages of their relationship. Arizona's jealousy and insecurity over her friendship with the older man had been many the cause of strife and grief between the two of them.

She could understand Arizona's point of view. She couldn't claim to trust her only to accuse her of cheating every other time she turned around. Yet, some things didn't quite add up for her.

"Why didn't you leave?" she asked.

Arizona pulled a face before, "Why didn't I leave...when? What? That night? You really expected me to leave you?"

Callie shook her head. "No, I mean, why did you stay with Lucy so long that night?"

Exhaling deeply, Arizona readjusted herself. "Lucy had come to me to...to apologize."

"For what?"

"For flirting with me and hitting on me a few months before."

Callie's face reddened and she felt her fingers grasp the bed sheet more firmly. She locked her jaw and started to grind her teeth.

"She what?" she asked in a calm voice that was all but deceiving.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, Calliope. You'd been having problems with headaches and your blood pressure. I didn't want to do anything to upset you. At first, her advances were so ambiguous I had trouble understanding what she meant by them. As time wore on, I came to understand that her interest in me was just that-an interest."

Callie could barely contain her rage. Her jaw was already sore from the tight grip she'd locked it into while her teeth grated against one another in a painful rhythm. She could hardly feel any sensation in her fingertips as they continued to grip at the sheets and cause her knuckles to whiten.

The thought of her doctor, her O.B, flirting with and making passes at her girlfriend; her wife; her partner;the mother of her child, enraged Callie like nothing she'd ever felt before. Izzie Stevens had never evoked the feelings she currently felt.

What kind of a person hit on a married woman? What kind of a doctor tried to make a play for someone who was expecting a child? Did Dr. Fields have no respect for her at all? Had she even thought of Callie when she'd been flirting with her wife?

Arizona's voice silenced the angry rasp in her head and she tried to even out her breathing and calm herself enough to listen.

"Then, one day, I'd decided to catch some sleep in an on-call room. I'd been so tired and your midnight cravings, both varieties, were driving me up the wall. Lucy followed me and, well long story short, she pretty much told me that she wanted to have mindless and meaningless sex with me. I told her I was married, happily so, and that I didn't engage in those sorts of activities. She didn't take my refusal so kindly. She started talking about how you were pregnant and how I needed someone who could scratch certain itches." Arizona laughed, without humor and shook her head.

"She told she me wasn't looking to upset you. She just wanted to sleep with me. Anyway, I went off on her. I was furious that she was so dismissive of my marriage, of my beliefs, of you. I left the room and she apologized later. It had been dealt with Callie. There was no sense in getting you upset when I had put her in her place."

Callie shook her head slowly and bit her lip. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to snap Lucy's skinny ass body into so awful a shape that even she couldn't fix her again. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around the idea of Lucy propositioning her wife for sex in so casual a manner.

"You should have told me." she said in a cold voice.

Arizona swallowed. "I know, but, Callie I didn't want to upset you. I wasn't trying to keep anything from you. I promise. I never slept with her. I never had any desire to do so. You're the only woman I want."

Callie absorbed Arizona's words but kept her defensive demeanor in place.

"Why was she apologizing again that night?" she asked.

"Because she wanted us to be friends and I wouldn't allow it. I kept things professional with us. That night, she'd come to inform me that she'd been concerned about your health. She'd been in contact with Addison and had managed to talk her into coming to Seattle so she could observe you the last month of your pregnancy."

Addison. Callie had wondered how she'd ended up in Seattle. As with so many things, that information had been withheld from her. At the time, it hadn't been overly important, but now it was another piece to the puzzle for Callie.

"I refused to listen to her that night. I thought she was just trying to get on my good side and I was so sick of it, Callie. All I'd wanted to do was finish my shift and come home to you. I went off on her and she said something about wondering if you knew about her advances and I snapped at her again. That's when she dragged me into the room, Callie. She'd been wanting to tell me that Addison had arrived that very night and was going to take over your case."

Addison's arrival. That had been the reason that Lucy had disappeared into an on-call room with her wife that night? Though the details were still obscured, Callie had remembered how upset she'd been at witnessing the event. She, hazily, recalled returning home but the argument Arizona had spoken of remained elusive and lost to her.

Looking up, Callie met unsure blue eyes. Arizona was regarding her with a tight expression on her face and her shoulders were tight with a visible tension.

"So, I saw you two at the hospital and misread the situation?"

Arizona nodded.

"And, when you got home, I accused you of sleeping with her and we argued?"

Again, a blonde head nodded in the affirmative.

"What happened next?"

Arizona's face contorted as she fought to keep herself from being thrown back to that awful night. She didn't want to go into details with Callie. Thinking about how limp Callie's body had become as it had sagged against her and the way brown eyes had lost their focus and rolled into Callie's head was enough to cause Arizona's heart rate to increase and her stomach to tighten.

"Y-you...uhh...Callie, please." she begged, shaking her head and covering her face with her hands.

Callie closed the distance between them and reached for Arizona. The blonde, hunched over, allowed herself to fall into Callie's embrace. Her head came to rest against the Latina's thigh and strong hands moved over her sides in a soothing caress.

"You were eclamptic, Calliope. No one even knew and all the symptoms were present. You lost your equilibrium and I caught you, but your weight was too much for me. I was trying to hold you up and call for ambulance at the same time. That's when you realized something was wrong and you looked at me, Callie. You looked at me and you were _so_ scared. I dropped the phone and held you in both my arms and you were crying in pain and your speech was slurring and I just kept thinking that I was going to lose you. I was going to lose you and Daniella in the same night."

Despite not wishing to give a detailed account of the night in question, Arizona found her heart to be of a different opinion. Lying secure in Callie's arms, she expressed every emotion she'd felt that night. She told Callie every minor detail from the time the paramedics arrived to her state of mind while she'd been in a coma to when Callie had finally awakened.

All of her worries, her fears, her grief, her guilt-everything-she expressed it all to Callie without reservation. She answered every one of Callie's questions and helped to fill in all of the other woman's missing blanks.

The rain continued to poor outside while the wind picked up and sloshed it, loudly, against the side of the house. Despite the emotional breakthrough her mothers were undergoing in the room down the hall from her own, a tiny Daniella Ana Torres-Robbins stretched her legs and curled her small hands around her face. Yawning an innocent baby yawn, she laid peacefully on her back and slept through the storm, both the one raging outside, and the one abating inside.

_"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men"_**-Martin Fraguhar Tupper**


	47. Chapter 46

**A/N:** Wow! Here we all are. The ending to another novel length fic! I can hardly believe that we're at the end of the ride already! I won't say much here. There's an ending author's note after the story to those who'd care to read. All I can say here is-THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT! I hope you guys like the ending!

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Callie rolled Arizona over in her arms so that her head and shoulders were resting in her lap. Looking down into the emotional face of her wife, Callie felt an overwhelming need and desire to protect her and make her feel safe. Arizona had battled the weather the two of them had been thrown into and she'd managed, for the most part, to remain vigilant and steadfast. She'd witnessed the woman she loved collapse and be rushed to the E.R. She'd wrestled with the possibility of losing her wife and her child.

When things had been at their worst, she'd remained the strong and caring person that Callie had fallen in love with. When Callie had been in a coma, silent and without action for days on end, Arizona had been the mother that Daniella needed.

For her actions, Callie felt herself falling in love all over again. Wiping away at the wetness on Arizona's porcelain skin, Callie leaned over her and brushed her lips over her brow. She kept her left hand on the side of Arizona's face and smiled when she felt a shiver pass through her body. Their current position caused Arizona to be surrounded by Callie.

That was what she needed.

Arizona had been adrift for so long. She'd struggled with an enormous sense of possible loss. Long after the events that had so rattled her began, she still held within her a tight coil of tension that had yet to ease.

Callie lowered her lips from Arizona's forehead and brushed them down her nose. She heard a quick intake of breath and knew her movements were exciting her wife.

"I've missed touching you like this. It's been too long." Callie whispered before allowing her lips to find Arizona's in a hesitant embrace.

She kissed her slowly, almost asking for permission to continue. Arizona's lips on hers were just as tentative. A hand raised and tangled into dark hair. At the slight tug, the mood changed and Callie quickly swiped her tongue over Arizona's bottom lip. When her mouth parted, the kiss moved from one of rediscovery to one of unity and passion.

Moving, Callie slid Arizona out of her lap and moved to straddle her hips. She kept her lips on Arizona's and began to explore her body with her hands. The shaking beneath her fingers spurred her actions. She could feel Arizona wrestling with herself; battling whether or not to give control to her lust and want and need.

It had been months since the two of them had been together physically. Events had kept them apart and, somehow, Callie had been unaware of how much time had passed until she'd been standing in the bathroom with Arizona.

The body, soft and lithe, underneath her own brought into vivid detail all the things she'd been missing. She found it hard to remember ever wanting Arizona as badly as she did currently.

Her hands moved over Arizona's left breast and, even through the material of the hoodie she wore, the smaller woman gasped and pressed herself further into her hand. Callie trailed her lips away from her partner's delicate and yielding mouth to trace a warm path across her jaw. Her tongue passed between her teeth to play with the inviting line of bone her lips graced while her hand continued to knead Arizona's breast.

Arizona's hips were slowly starting to move up and down against her lower body in a search for more friction. She felt the blonde's right leg lift and wrap itself over her hip and the back of her left thigh. Arizona's foot moved dangerously close to Callie's center and their current engagement flared to life in both of them a renewed vigor and desire.

"I want you." Callie whispered, her lips placing erratic kisses on Arizona's face and neck. "I want to be inside you."

A moan, deep and completely primal, tore from Arizona's mouth and she wrapped her arms around Callie's back to hug her closer. Turning her head, she used her own mouth to kiss Callie's ear and breath heavily against her.

She needed Callie. There was nothing else to say. It was not a matter of being horny, nor was it an issue of granting her body some quick release. The two of them had engaged in quick romps. They'd had fast and dirty sex before. Over their time together, the two women had explored the other's body completely.

But, it wasn't about those things.

Arizona had nearly lost Callie. She'd been without the sound of her voice or the pleasure of her gaze for days. Her life, her soul, had become so ingrained with Callie's that, when she'd been without her, her body had not known how to respond. Daniella had been the only thing that got her through the entire ordeal. The child Callie had carried, for her, had been the one speck of light in her ever darkening world.

In her current moment, Arizona needed to reaffirm, to herself, that Callie was alive and stable. She required the boon that the knowledge of Callie's well-being would grant.

Though Callie had been released from the hospital and had regained her mobility, Arizona needed a physical accord that the two of them were okay. It transcended earthly means and bordered on the abstruse.

As if some dam had been breached, Arizona came back to life beneath the weight of her wife. Her hands moved to Callie's sides and pushed and pulled at the restriction that was her top. When her fingers grazed the warm smoothness of Callie's skin, Arizona nearly cried.

Warmth indicated life.

Callie sat back and removed the shirt she had, only moments before, put on. Resting her weight on her right hand, she remained leaning over Arizona and allowed her eyes to take in her features. The blonde's leg was still tightly bound across her hip and her foot was lazily running along the inside of her calf.

Hooded and intense sapphire eyes looked back at her while hands moved across her chest and through her damp hair.

"I want you." Callie repeated.

Arizona licked her lips and tried to bring her breathing under control so she could speak.

"What about Dani?" she asked in a ragged breath.

"She'll be asleep for a while. We need this. I need you." Callie replied grabbing one of Arizona's hands near her face and kissing her palm.

"I've missed you, Calliope."

"I've been right here, baby, just like I'm here now."

Callie knew Arizona. She knew that the other woman still had trouble with her emotions. She knew how the past several weeks had affected her. Callie knew.

Arizona was still in a certain place. A place that, to this day, still haunted her and held her back. The events of their recent lives had forced Arizona to erect a wall around herself; a wall that she had used to keep from feeling, in their entirety, the negative emotions surrounding Callie's condition.

For all of their late night talks and confessions, Callie knew that a part of Arizona was still afraid of 'waking up.'

For that reason, nearly alone, Callie desired to touch and feel her partner. She wanted, more than anything, to comfort Arizona and show her that the past was just that. The past. She was okay. She had survived. Daniella had survived.

Callie knew that a physical coupling would help Arizona to solidify those facts.

She knew it would heal her.

Taking Arizona's hand that she had, tenderly, kissed, Callie moved it so that it rested on her chest, near her heart. Like that day, so long ago, when Arizona had broken down and cried in her arms, Callie smiled and looked up to meet blue eyes.

"Feel me." she said, hoping that Arizona would connect with the memory and realize her intent.

A heavy breath, nearly a sob, escaped the blonde's lips. The steady thump of Callie's heart soothed the raging torrent of emotions coursing through her. It was her life line. It connected her to everything that made her who she was.

Callie smiled and released Arizona's hand. It stayed on her chest and continued to radiate a comfortable warmth.

_"Mariposa?_"

Arizona's eyes, immediately, shot up and met her own.

"See me." she said as she held their gaze. Looking into her eyes, she saw herself and her desires mirrored in their depths.

The tension in Arizona's body slowly started to ebb and fade. Callie, upon noticing the change, smiled even wider and once again leaned over her wife. She let her nose nudge along the blonde's throat as she moved her mouth to her ear.

"Hear me." she whispered, replaying the words from before that had calmed Arizona.

"I want you." she continued. "I always want you. You drive me crazy."

She felt Arizona release a breath that signaled her laughter. With its verve came a reawakening. Arizona's hands moved up and tangled themselves in Callie's hair. Tugging, she forced the dark head up and enthusiastically kissed a set of full red lips.

Callie moaned against her and kissed her with equal passion. The dam that had been breached was now broken. Before long, the gentle and comforting silence of the bedroom, dark now from the storm outside, was filled with moans of deep gratitude and heavy pants of excited breathing. The feeling of Callie's weight on her own body was so amazingly welcome and needed to Arizona, she felt she could come from just the sensation alone.

Questing, yet confident, fingers moved under the blonde's top and explored the soft expanse of skin they found. Callie's hands were confident and firm and touched her with a skill learned long before. She pulled Arizona up with her, while still keeping their lips united, and practically tore the the bright pink pull over off of the blonde's body. The top landed at the foot of the bed and hung over the side, completely forgotten.

Moans left both women's mouths and their sounds danced together on the air. Callie pushed Arizona back onto the bed and leaned over her once again. Normally blue eyes stared back at her with an indigo hue. A flush was visible across Arizona's chest and it caused Callie's arousal to nearly overtake her.

Sliding her arm between their bodies, the Latina shoved her hand into her partner's sweat pants and ran her fingers through familiar folds. The sudden contact was enough to jerk the blonde's body. Teasing and fore-play had been completely overlooked.

Arizona's eyes opened wide and her mouth opened in appreciation. Before she was able to express how good Callie was making her feel, those same fingers pushed into her entrance and curled inside of her. She'd not been expecting the motion or the sensation.

"Feel me." Callie repeated in a voice laced with desire.

The smaller woman's back lifted off the bed briefly while her head was thrown back, exposing her throat. A breathless and strangled gasp tore from Arizona's mouth. She couldn't explain how wonderful it felt to be filled by her wife. The piece of her that had been missing had returned. She felt her internal muscles constrict and move as they pulled Callie's fingers deeper inside of her. For a long moment, no words were spoken. Arizona kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut while her mouth hung open to allow oxygen to get to her lungs.

Callie remained, unmoving, where she was. Her eyes, dark and full of lust, fixated on her partner and took in her reaction to their connection. She thought Arizona was beautiful. Her fingers were wet and held tightly and she could think of nowhere else she'd rather be. The heat surrounding her was intoxicating as was Arizona's uninhibited display.

Leaning forward, Callie licked the column of her partner's neck and relished the feel of her pulse beneath her lips. Slowly, she began to move her fingers. Arizona gasped again and wrapped both arms around the back of her neck. Leaving a few parting kisses, Callie buried her face next to Arizona's ear and let herself become lost in her actions. She felt the slim hips under her start to move and meet her thrusts.

Everything else in the world became lost to her. There was only the two of them. Hospitals and misconceptions, fears and insecurities, worries and judgements; all held no meaning for Callie. Her accident and extended hospital stay were things of the past. She and Arizona were fine. They'd managed to keep each other despite their less than ideal circumstances.

They were both parents, mothers, now. Their life was complete.

"Good...so...good...you're...god, you feel so good..."

Arizona's words, a struggle in their own right, met her ears and caused her to pull back so she could see her face. Increasing the pace of her fingers, she pushed into her wife harder and faster and kept their eyes' contact.

Everything she ever needed to know was staring back at her.

Trust.

Love.

Commitment.

"Kiss me..." Arizona whispered when she felt Callie's thumb brush over her clit.

The sound of the bed moving and creaking seemed to become more and more noticeable the longer the two of them moved. Sweat broke out over both of their chests and caused them to slide against the other more fluidly. The friction, as their breasts slid across each other, only added to the inferno being created.

Callie complied with Arizona's request and brought their lips together. It was sloppy and barely coordinated, but neither woman seemed to take notice.

The tightness around Callie's fingers became more apparent while Arizona's breathing became more hitched and erratic. She felt a hand move and grasp her left breast and knew her partner was close. In parting, she kissed Arizona's lips one more time before extracting herself and moving down a slender body.

Looking back up, she was met with a pair of heavily lidded blue eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Callie smirked, her fingers still deep inside of Arizona.

"I want to taste you. Help me get these off." she said, indicating the sweats still between them.

Arizona lifted her hips, the action causing Callie's fingers to move even deeper inside her body.

Using her free hand, Callie worked to slide Arizona's pants down her legs. The blonde shimmied her hips in an effort to expedite matters and, after a brief struggle around the ankles, the sweats were free and on the floor.

Arizona had no time to question why Callie didn't just remove her fingers and use both of her hands in removing her pants. As soon as the garment was removed, Callie was pumping inside of her once again and lowering her lips to her throbbing clit.

When a warm, hot, and wet mouth sucked her clit into it's sanctuary, Arizona moaned louder than she could ever recall. Callie's tongue licked and teased and twirled around the swollen bundle of nerves while her fingers moved faster and faster inside of her.

"Fuck..."

The word spilled past Arizona's lips without her consent. Her heart was beating so wildly behind her ribcage, she was amazed it hadn't given out on her. Her hips, moving and rolling, were sore and ached from their continuous movement but, still, she felt better than she had in weeks.

She felt herself starting to crest and moved a hand down her body to settle on top of Callie's head between her legs. Threading her fingers in dark, slightly damp, hair, Arizona bucked and pushed herself into her partner's mouth and onto her fingers.

Callie hummed.

The vibrations were more than her body could take. Her legs, spread wide and wrapped around Callie's shoulders, shook and tightened, trapping Callie between them. The hand she had in her wife's hair flexed and held on tightly as her orgasm flared inside of her and sent it's pleasurable sensations throughout her entire body. She could feel her walls contracting over and over again around Callie's fingers while her moisture connected with the face and lips drawing it into being.

When the last ripple of perfection faded from her body, her legs fell, slack, to the bed and released Callie from between them. Her breathing was heavy and ragged. She couldn't tell if she was numb or if her body just couldn't handle as much sensation as Callie had just given it.

"You taste amazing."

The words were low and barely reached her ears. Opening an eye, she swallowed past the dry lump in her throat and looked down her body. Callie was lapping at the remains of her orgasm, her dark head of hair moving between her legs.

Callie's lips were gentle and soft as they moved over her clit and down her length. She alternated between kissing and licking but it was obvious to Arizona that her partner was worshiping her. One final kiss farewell to her clit and Callie was moving up her body again. Her lips moved over her hip bones and across her stomach. They brushed over tight nipples and nipped at a jutting collar bone before stopping at a strong chin.

"Taste me." the Latina whispered before forcing her tongue into Arizona's mouth and kissing her with fervor.

Arizona moaned and felt her breath catch in her chest. Callie's words rocked her. She was tasting Callie while Callie tasted like her. It was beyond mind blowing. She remembered how nervous Callie had been to engage in oral sex with her in the beginning. Though the Latina had gotten over some of her nerves with Erica, the knowledge of going down on a gold star lesbian had been intimidating to her. Arizona had picked up on it early in their sexual relationship.

The two of them had each learned what the other liked and what they, themselves, enjoyed doing in terms of stimulation. The first time Arizona had made love to Callie with her mouth and then proceeded to kiss her while her juices were still present on her lips, had shocked the Latina. The men she'd been with had never done such a thing. They'd done their deed and then rolled over and fallen asleep.

Arizona, equally, had been in a state of bemusement. She couldn't imagine someone like Callie having never tasted herself on another's tongue.

Despite their bewilderment, the action had spurred them on to getting more comfortable with each other. Callie had loved tasting herself on Arizona and Arizona had been even more curious about how Callie's lips would feel against certain parts of her body.

Kissing Callie, as she currently was, Arizona smiled and deepened their embrace. Her wife had gotten over her case of nerves and now loved oral sex as much as she did. It was, almost, hard for Arizona to remember a hesitant and shy Calliope Torres.

"I love you. I love you. I could hold you like this forever." Callie whispered against her lips.

The sweat from their bodies was cooling and evaporating. Callie still had her pants on and was settled, half on the bed, half on top of Arizona. The smaller woman's hands were running through her hair and over her shoulder blades. Occasionally, they'd slide down to dip into the base of her spine before trailing back up and starting their movements all over again.

Callie held Arizona close and peppered her shoulder, her face, and her chest with light kisses.

"I love you, too. God, you amaze me. Thank you...thank you..."

Arizona's words trailed off as she turned her head so that her lips were brushing along Callie's hair line.

The Latina was unsure what her partner was thanking her for.

"You're welcome. Whatever it is...you're welcome, baby."

Pulling back, Arizona grabbed Callie's face between her hands and forced her to look at her. Her thumbs ran over Callie's jaw and chin.

"Thank you for coming back to me. I don't think I could have lived without you, Callie. I tried it and it sucked." Arizona elaborated with a small laugh.

Smiling, Callie replied, "I came back _because_ of you. I came back_ for_ you. I didn't like being without you, either. It did suck, just not the kind of sucking I enjoy."

Laughter sounded in the room at Callie's crudeness.

The two women smiled at each and lost themselves in their moment. Callie leaned forward and kissed Arizona's lips fully several time before lowering her head onto the blonde's shoulder. Arms wrapped themselves back around her and pulled her closer. Each woman pressed their lips to the other wherever they could.

The storm outside, thunder clashing in the distance and wind howling its loneliness, continued to pelt their home but neither of them paid it any attention. They were each caught up in being able to touch and feel the other.

Arizona's heart began to slow and even its pace. Her right foot moved and trailed over Callie's calf while her hands continued to run across her back and arms. Callie closed her eyes and listened to the beat beneath her ear. She kept her left hand in contact with Arizona by grazing her fingers over her forearm. Tilting her head up, she nuzzled the soft skin of her partner's neck and ran her nose along the underside of her chin.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Arizona. I don't think I ever really did. I was just so happy and I was afraid of the other shoe dropping and taking it all away from me."

Arizona let the words hang on the air for a moment before responding.

"I was afraid of losing you, too. When you were rushed to the hospital, I flashed back to being with Hannah."

Callie opened her eyes but made no move to change her position.

"I thought the universe was trying to tell me that I couldn't have everything I wanted...that it would take away something dear to ensure I wasn't completely happy. All I could think about was you, Callie. I couldn't lose you. And Dani? I hadn't even gotten to meet her yet. It was like not being able to say goodbye to Hannah, only in this case, I didn't think I would get to say hello."

Callie kissed the side of Arizona's breast and ran her fingers gently over the nipple. Her touch wasn't sexual. It was one of connection.

"After you were stabilized and Daniella was taken to the NICU, I tried to not think of everything that could go wrong. I tried to get the images of your blood out of my mind. What if something happened to Daniella and you woke up? What was I going to tell you?"

Taking a breath, Arizona ran the tips of her fingers around the curve of Callie's shoulder blade.

"What if you never woke up? How was I supposed to raise our daughter without you? You could have died thinking I cheated on you."

Sitting up, Callie looked down at Arizona and shook her head.

"No. I don't think I ever believed you cheated on me, Arizona. It was just stupid fears and hormones. We almost broke up over the baby issue and then I found out about Hannah. I was worried that we were moving too fast. I was concerned that you were pushing yourself too hard to give me what I wanted. Things just got messed up for a while, _mariposa_. I know you love me. I really do know that and I trust it. It was all silly, okay?"

Arizona regarded her for a moment before nodding her head.

"Okay."

She trailed her fingers over Callie's chin and smiled, impishly, up at her.

"You still have me on your face." she said, leaning up and kissing away some of the moisture drying on her love's face.

"I like you being on my face." the Latina confessed in a husky whisper while closing her eyes.

Arizona smiled, wider than before, and let her fingers retrace the familiar curve of Callie's jawbone. Her wife turned her head to allow her fingers to move up her cheeks and over her nose and brows. There was nothing hurried about her movement. Unlike the frantic pace of their previous lovemaking session, Arizona wanted to take things more slowly in her appreciation of Callie.

She'd needed her wife to be more forceful with her. She'd needed to feel taken and safe and complete and sated. Callie had given that to her. She had made her feel desired and loved and wanted. She'd shown her that her body was no longer broken.

Arizona had needed those things.

Now, she desired a slower pace. Her body wished to explore Callie's and remind herself of their connection. Their love. The person she loved most in the world had nearly been lost to her. For days, she'd stood watch over the body that excited and fascinated her and seen it lie prone and without liveliness.

She'd seen Callie's skin, normally radiant and the color of warm honey, be nearly pale and devoid of warmth. The eyes, dark and so full of emotion, that had first attracted her to Callie had been lost behind lids that had refused to open. Arizona had sat beside her wife's bedside and been without the pleasure of her laughter. She'd not had the joy of hearing Callie's rich voice soothe away her worries and pains.

Everything had nearly been lost.

Yet, here she was. With Callie.

The woman on top of her was very much alive and well. Arizona could feel the warmth of Callie's skin as it connected with her own. She could feel the slight beat of her heart against the side of her ribcage and practically taste her breath as it spread over her face in enjoyment.

Fingers, agile and dextrous, moved over her own and wrapped around her wrist.

Stopping her movements, Arizona allowed her fingers to settle against Callie's full lips. Dark eyes opened and looked down at her. She watched as Callie guided one of her fingers into her mouth and proceeded to suck the digit in a sensual kiss. Her eyes never faltered.

"You're beautiful, Calliope." Arizona whispered, tracing over the wetness of Callie's bottom lip. "I love you."

"Show me."

Arizona bit the inside of her cheek and accepted Callie's challenge. Leaning forward, she replaced her fingers with her lips and kissed her partner slowly. She wanted Callie to feel her. She wanted her to know how much she was loved.

Callie whimpered into the kiss and scrunched her eyebrows as the wondrous sensation of Arizona's lips on her own caused her heart rate to increase. Internally, she rejoiced at the taste of her lover's tongue on her own. Arizona Robbins was her whole world. All of her life, Callie had looked for love in the wrong places with the wrong people. She'd known that, inside of herself, she possessed an amazing ability to love. All she'd wanted was someone worthy enough to love her back in the same way.

For thirty years of her life, she'd made one mistake after another and fallen for one person after the next. Early on, she'd learned to use sex as a coping mechanism. She'd been of the belief that love could blossom if the sex was good enough.

That had turned out not to be the case. Sex had been sex. The people she'd slept with had been looking for something themselves. They'd been searching for whatever they were missing in their lives.

She hadn't been it.

Then, Arizona had happened. The most unlikely woman imaginable had turned out to be the ultimate object of her affection. When Callie had thought to sleep with Arizona early on, thinking that was what the blonde had wanted, she'd been surprised when Arizona had turned her down.

_"We're not having senseless sex."_ she'd said. _"It's so much better if it means something."_

So, after thirty years of having sex, Callie had learned to make love with Arizona. The other woman had not been lying when she'd told Callie that the act was better if it meant something; if it was with someone who mattered.

Sighing into Arizona's mouth, Callie nipped at her bottom lip and lowered her hand down to her own pants, attempting to shove them past her hips so she could shimmy out of them.

"In a hurry?" Arizona asked in an amused voice.

Kissing her partner's eyelids and cheeks, Callie smiled as she sat back to fully remove her sweat pants.

"Maybe a little. I haven't felt your touch in a while. I was all big time pregnant before." she replied, settling down beside Arizona and throwing her left leg over the blonde's hip. The position caused her arousal to slide over the side of Arizona's thigh.

"Hmm." Arizona moaned feeling her wife's excitement. "You were beautiful to me. I always think you're gorgeous."

Callie ducked her head and lead a trail of light kisses across Arizona's jaw. She blushed at her partner's words. Even after all their time together, Arizona still possessed the ability to still her heart and make her feel like the most important person in the world. Her lips dipped lower and caressed an inviting neck before she nuzzled her face into blonde hair.

Slowly, she started rocking herself against Arizona's thigh. The contact flared to life in her a stronger desire for release. Her left hand moved down the blonde's arm and wrapped itself around her waist.

Lost in her pleasure, Callie was unaware of Arizona shifting against her. Before she knew it, she was on her back with her wife on top of her.

"You're not coming that way." the smaller woman whispered, voice heavy and eyes dark. Pale hands moved over a tanned chest and caused goosebumps to form in their wake.

"No?" Callie countered.

Leaning forward, Arizona rocked hips into Callie's and let their moisture meet. Her mouth came to rest outside of Callie's ear.

"No. You're going to come in my mouth."

Callie released a groan and closed her eyes. Her own hands settled on the blonde's hips and began to knead the flesh beneath them.

Arizona kissed her ear before tracing her tongue over her jaw and under her chin. Finding her lips, Arizona parted them and shoved her tongue inside her mouth. The two of them kissed each other in a slow and passionate embrace. Their movements were that of a dance. A sensual dance known only to them.

Needing to feel more of the body beneath her, Arizona trailed her fingers along the outside of Callie's ribs and felt a new wave of arousal hit her when her fingertips grazed the swell of her partner's breasts.

"Mmm, you feel good."

The words left Callie's mouth in a slurred state of lust against Arizona's lips. Turning her head, she took a deep breath and resumed their kiss. Her hands reached behind Arizona and grabbed her ass. Digging her fingers into the flesh, she pulled her lover against her and moaned at the friction. Hot, wet, arousal spread across her center.

When Arizona's fingers brushed across her nipples, she jerked and hissed through her teeth. The blonde stopped and looked up at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern written heavily across her brow.

"They're sore. I'm sorry." Callie answered, lowering her eyes, and feeling guilty over her body's reaction.

She'd been told by her specialist that breastfeeding held the possibility to kill her sex life. The woman had informed her of all of the changes her body would be undergoing and most of it had sounded like a nightmare. At the time, she'd not been thinking about sex or anything along those lines. She'd only been concerned with doing what she thought was best for her baby. She'd been worried about regaining her mobility and getting her memories back.

Sex had been the last thing on her mind, so when her lactate specialist had given her the run down on what to expect, she'd barely paid it much thought at all.

Now, however, she understood some of what the other woman had been trying to get across. She felt like it killed the mood between herself and Arizona.

"Don't apologize. I didn't think. Do you want me to stop?"

Dark eyes quickly looked up. "No. Never."

Arizona smiled and dropped her head to Callie's left nipple. Kissing it gently, she rubbed her cheek across her partner's sternum and sighed.

"I'm going to miss you guys for a while." she said, referring to Callie's breasts.

The snorted chuckle from Callie broke the tension that had sprang up in the room.

"There's other places you can go. Places I know have missed you, too." the Latina said huskily.

And just like that, the awkwardness was gone between them. Arizona kissed Callie's lips chastely before descending down her body to settle between her thighs. Her fingers ran through her partner's wetness, testing it, before she sucked her digits into her mouth.

"I've missed you." the blonde said, more to herself than to Callie.

The heady scent and hot taste on her tongue nearly overwhelmed her. Staring at Callie's sex, seeing the results of her actions, knowing she was who Callie wanted; it was more than she could ever have hoped.

She looked up her wife's body, her beautiful and stunning body, and smiled at her before leaning forward and taking a long swipe of Callie's wetness. Hips surged forward and a hand tangled in her hair. She loved it when Callie pulled her hair like that. It let her know what her lover liked and what felt good to her. She watched as Callie raised her other hand and grasped at the sheets at the foot of the bed.

Blowing a hot breath against Callie's clit, Arizona was rewarded with a sharp moan. The hand in her hair tugged harder.

"Don't tease, baby. Just put your mouth on me."

Smirking, Arizona spread Callie's thighs farther apart and nudged her nose across her clit. Wrapping her hands along the outside of her partner's hips, she brought her mouth up and attached it to where Callie wanted it the most.

An appreciative cry sounded in the room and the sound of Callie's wetness as it slide across her face, was music to Arizona's ear. Quickly, she started sucking Callie's clit into her mouth. The bundle of nerves was hot and hard and tasted like heaven to her.

Hips moved and rolled against her face while the hand in her hair pushed, pulled, and shoved as the sensations became more and more gratifying and delicious. Sounds she'd not heard in months-grunts and moans and gasps-collided with her body and she felt a small orgasm shudder through her nerve endings. Moaning at the sensations, she felt Callie cry out and buck against her.

"Oh...god...fu-...hmmm, Arizona...you don't...ohh, you're so good."

Callie's broken words only aroused the blonde more. She detached her lips from Callie's clit and lowered her mouth to plunge her tongue deep into her opening. Callie's legs moved around her. She felt the balls of her partner's feet come to rest against her shoulder blades before trailing down her sides and landing on her hips.

The completely wanton display and, near, lack of control coming from her partner was startling to Arizona. She loved being the cause of this particular state in Callie. The images of her wife lying in a hospital bed seemed to fade away the more Callie moved against her body.

Needing to breath, Arizona pulled away and kissed Callie's clit several times. Hips jerked up each time she pulled away. A glistening sheen on moisture was evident on her face and chin. Taking a moment to look at Callie, Arizona was overcome with how arousing she found her. The hand in her hair pushed against her head and directed her back to her task.

Lips once again sucked a throbbing and, near, begging, clit between them. Arizona felt Callie's movements become more and more erratic. At times, the Latina seemed to move away from her, but she never relented and kept her mouth firmly attached to her favorite organ.

Callie was so wrapped up in what she was feeling, she was unsure if she wanted more or for the exciting torture to just end. Her clit was on fire. It burned and ached and she heard her own heavy breathing, panting actually, in her ears.

When she thought there was no possible way for her to endure more, she felt the tip of Arizona's tongue land directly on her clit and begin titillate her sex.

It proved to be her undoing. Her hips lifted off the bed as she practically offered herself to Arizona's mouth. Her orgasm tore inside of her and spilled its excitement over her partner's face and down her own thighs. She felt Arizona between her legs licking and sucking at everything being given to her. The lips on Callie's clit refused to surrender their hold and, instead, continued to suck her hard until another orgasm blacked out her vision.

Her first orgasm had barely washed over her when the second one stole the air from her lungs. She was nowhere and she was everywhere. She and Arizona had made love enough times for her to know how good it was. Yet, the orgasms she was currently feeling were unlike anything her body had ever experienced. It was beyond her. For a brief span of time, she lost all sensation and was unaware of whether or not Arizona was still between her legs.

Conversely, she was aware of every nerve ending in her body. Everything felt wonderful and good. She was vaguely aware of her internal muscles contracting tightly and almost painfully. They seemed to be chasing the waves of pleasure coursing through her.

And then it was over.

And she was returned to the comfort of her bedroom. Blood pounded in her head and she blinked to try and clear her vision. Arizona was next to her, softly rubbing idle circles across her chest. Her face was wet with Callie's orgasm.

"Oh my god..." the Latina croaked, licking her lips.

Arizona smiled smugly and leaned over her to allow her to taste herself. Though she'd tasted herself on Arizona's lips before, something was different about this time. Her taste was different.

"You so just ejaculated."

"What?" Callie asked, confused.

Wiping at her own lips, Arizona lowered her hand and ran it through Callie's sex. The wetness there was almost impossible to imagine. Callie swallowed again and tensed at the sensation. She became aware of the wetness between her legs and underneath her thighs.

"Damn." she said, unable to say anything else.

Arizona only smiled at her all the more. Her eyes were confident and it was obvious she was rather proud of herself.

The longer Callie laid next to her wife, the more her body calmed down and the knowledge of what she'd just done hit her. Embarrassment caused her skin to flush and she covered her face with her hands.

"Oh my god. I've never done that before. I'm so sorry."

Arizona shook her head and removed Callie's hands, holding them in her own.

"Hey. Don't. Do you know how many women would love to have experienced what you just did? Here I thought it was a myth."

The giggle in Arizona's words only caused Callie to flush a brighter shade of red. The experience had been amazing and she had enjoyed it, but knowing she'd just female ejaculated over her wife's face was slightly horrifying to her.

"I think you owe me, now." Arizona said, kissing her forehead.

"What?" she asked again, dumbly.

"I just gave you the best orgasm of your entire life. We just proved that female ejaculation isn't just a myth. After we check on Dani and clean up, I want my own ejaculation."

Callie laughed and hugged Arizona to her. Outside, rain and wind howled together while thunder and lightening shocked the senses.

"We could be going at it for a while." Callie said, pulling away and staring up at Arizona.

"That's okay. I'm willing to suffer through it if you are." the blonde replied rolling over and pulling Callie on top of her.

"Oh, I think it's something I can endure."

* * *

**-1 year later, Los Angelas, CA-**

The sound of a door bell jingling signaled the arrival of Swinger's diner's newest occupant. Engrossed in the medical journal resting on the table in front of her, Addison Montgomery paid the sound little mind and stirred her coffee absently.

The warm and bright sun next to her window cast a pleasant glow on her fair skin. Dimly, she was aware of the light sounds of conversation around her as well as the hustle and bustle that accompanied such an establishment. Taking a testing sip of her coffee, she was oblivious to the woman standing slightly behind her.

The shadow that darkened her table caught her attention and she glanced up in surprise.

"You know, the first time I chalked up to luck." a smooth and warm voice said. "The second time," Addison watched slim shoulders shrug before, "well, I called that coincidence."

The person speaking walked around her and took a seat at her table. Green eyes shined with amusement and Addison couldn't help smiling when she noticed it.

"But, three times? I'd have to say that's serendipity." Terri said, reaching across the table and picking up the untouched pastry in front of Addison. "We really need to stop meeting in these quaint little diners. I could get used to it."

"Terri Clashe. What on earth are you doing here? Still stalking me?"

Taking a bite of the cream filled danish, Terri hummed in approval and licked her lips before sitting it back on the plate she'd grabbed it from.

"Hmm, you wish. I've been traveling." she said, signaling for the waiter.

Sitting back in her chair, Addison scoffed and set her journal aside.

"Really? You just happened to be traveling and winded up in California?"

Smiling her perfect and dazzling smile, Terri copied Addison's actions and made herself more comfortable.

"Like I said, serendipity."

Addison only smiled and raised an eyebrow, hoping to prompt a more detailed explanation from her companion.

"Arizona and I had a vacation savings when we were together. It was our intention to travel the United States as soon as Hannah was old enough to appreciate such a trip. The money's just been sitting in an account, untouched, for years now. I decided to treat myself."

A young man came up to their table and asked to take Terri's order.

"Whatever the special is." she told the man. "And a tea."

Once the man left the two women alone, Addison picked up her half eaten danish and took a bite from it.

"So, you just took the money without calling Arizona?"

Terri shrugged. "She's not made mention of it for years. I doubt she even thinks about it. Besides, from what I hear, she and Callie are treating themselves everyday. This was something I decided to do for myself."

"Nice." Addison said, smiling at the woman she'd befriended so long ago by chance encounter alone. "It just so happens that I've recently taken some time off myself. I'm not traveling across the country, but it would seem that great minds really do think alike."

Their waiter returned and placed Terri's drink in front of her before disappearing once more. Terri turned her head and looked out the window to her left. Addison studied her profile for a moment.

"You look really good, by the way." she said.

Emerald eyes turned to regard her and Terri smiled. "Thanks. I feel better than I have in ages." Letting her eyes travel over the form across from her, she added, "You don't look so bad yourself."

Despite herself, Addison couldn't help the slight blush that overcame her fair skin. Smiling, she reached for her coffee and used it as a stalling device. Even after so much time, she still found something intriguing about Terri.

"So, what are your plans here in sunny California?" she asked, resuming their easy conversation.

Taking a sip of her tea, Terri reached for a package of sugar and tap it against her palm to settle it. Shrugging again, she poured the contents of the package into her glass.

"I don't know. I'm kind of just winging it. It's very liberating."

Addison nodded and looked around the diner. That familiar tug invaded her mind once again and she felt herself wanting to spend more time in Terri's presence. Before she could say anything else, Terri broke their silence.

"What I do know is that I want to see a show tonight. Something fancy where I can dress up. You wouldn't want to come with me, would you?"

A full head of red hair swung back towards the sound of Terri's enchanting voice. Had Terri just asked her out? No, that was silly. The other woman was just extending a friendly invitation. Terri didn't know anyone else in California and was most likely just wanting to spend time with a friend before she left for her next destination.

Opening her mouth, Addison came up short.

"Oh, come on. I'll pay. It'll be my treat. We did happen to meet up again today. That has to mean something." Terri said.

Addison smiled at her humor.

"Oh, really?" she asked, playfully.

"Sure. It means that you are supposed to join me tonight and enjoy a free show. I may even be so inclined to take you to dinner. It's really pretty beneficial for you, Ms. Montgomery."

A smirk was forming on Terri's lips and her eyes were a bright green that spoke of her mirthful mood. Addison stared at her for a moment. She had nothing planned tonight. Dinner and a show sounded like it could be fun. Besides, even if the show sucked and dinner was awful, she'd still get to spend time with her friend. Terri's witty sense of humor was enough to help her make her decision.

Laughing, she threw her hands in the air and sighed. "Sure, why not? It sounds like fun."

A moment later, their waiter returned and placed a plate in front of Terri. The two women conversed like old friends and enjoyed the sun that shone in through their window.

* * *

**-Seattle, WA-**

Callie groaned and rolled over, facing away from the unwanted sound trying to get pull her from her slumber. Snuggling down further into the comforter, she was nearly asleep when the sound rang out in the room again.

Sighing, she sat up and rolled back over. Leaning over Arizona's snoozing form, she blinked away her sleep and stared at the baby monitor sitting on the night stand. The small display showed Daniella, sitting up in her toddler bed, playing with a stuffed bear.

Mr. Cuddles.

Her daughter's dark hair could be easily seen and, despite the fact that she was now awake, Callie couldn't help but smile as she watched her. Daniella was cooing and making baby speech at the fluffy bear in her arms. Now over a year old, Daniella's Mexican features were even more present. Her hair, having been lighter with highlights of blonde, was now completely black and curly. It was long and covered her shoulders.

Dark, rich colored skin, spoke of Callie's 'genes'. Anyone looking upon Daniella for the first time would have been inclined to think that Callie was her birth mother. All they had to do to know the truth was look into Daniella's eyes.

They were blue.

Not as light as Arizona's, no, they were a darker shade of blue. But, blue they were, nonetheless. Every expression that Daniella had or made was mirrored by Arizona's face. She had inherited her mother's dimples and the curve of her lips. The delicate arch of her dark brows was the same as Arizona's and her eyes were the same shape as well.

Her entire face was a small, darker, replica of Arizona.

In short, she was beautiful. A perfect blend of the two of them. Arizona had been shocked when her daughter's eyes had not changed colors. She'd been convinced that Dani would have dark eyes like Callie. The fact that she had been born with blue eyes, instead of brown, had spoken of a possible chance for them to remain that way. She knew, as a doctor, that children born with brown eyes normally kept that eye color. Children born with blue had a chance of a variety of colors specific to their genome. She'd wondered if the donor they had chosen had anyone in his family with blue eyes.

The sounds coming from the baby monitor continued to jar Callie into wakefulness. She knew that Daniella would be wanting breakfast before long. Their daughter loved, with an obsessive passion, the taste of oatmeal. Callie knew if Dani wasn't fed soon, she'd begin to cry and fuss.

Groaning again, she looked down at Arizona and nudged her shoulder.

"Wake up." she said, her voice heavy from her previous sleeping session.

Arizona grunted and rolled into her pillow, pushing her face under the covers. Callie sighed and settled back behind her. Shoving Arizona, a little harder this time, she continued trying to wake her partner up.

"Your daughter's awake." she said, lying back down and turning her back to Arizona.

A moment later, a mumbled voice floated to her ears. It was deep and raspy and barely audible.

"Before noon, she's _your_ daughter. I'm trying to sleep."

Callie made a face and scoffed, turning her head slightly to look over her shoulder at her partner. Arizona's mess of long blonde curls was partially hidden under their blanket.

"_You're_ off today._ I_ have to go to the hospital later. She's _your_ daughter and she's hungry." Callie said more forcefully before reaching behind her, grabbing Arizona's portion of blanket, and pulling the material off of the sleeping woman.

"Hey!" Arizona whined when the cool air of their room connected with her barely clothed form. Sitting up, she shoved her hair form her eyes and glanced at Callie. Her wife was wrapping herself up with the comforter, completely keeping Arizona from possibly covering herself with it again.

"You've got about five minutes before she realizes you're late and starts complaining about it." Callie said, her words muffled.

"I hate you right now." Arizona said swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

She walked around their bed and to the chair sitting on Callie's side to grab her robe from the cushions.

"To quote you, 'because I'm right and I'm awesome." Callie replied before falling back asleep.

* * *

When she entered Daniella's room, she stopped just inside the doorway and watched her daughter for a moment. Dani's tiny back was facing her and her hands and arms were moving animatedly in front of her. Innocent baby sounds issued from her mouth as she spoke hurriedly to her teddy bear about nothing in particular.

"Hey big girl." Arizona said, stepping into the room and getting her child's attention. "You ready to eat?"

Daniella bounced on her bed and attempted to turn towards the sound of her mother's voice. Strong, soothing and comfortable arms wrapped around her middle and effortlessly picked her up from her bed.

"Hi sweetie." Arizona greeted again, nuzzling her nose into Daniella's hair and kissing her warm cheeks. Her daughter's small arms reached out for her and tangled in her hair. Coos and attempts at speech sounded in the room.

"Hi! Hi! Hi!" Daniella said, bouncing on Arizona's hip.

The blonde was unsure whether or not her daughter was actually saying 'Hi' or if, in her excitement, it sounded like she was. Either way it was cute. Cute and endearing. Anytime Arizona entered the room. Daniella immediately got excited and attempted to get to her.

"Let's get some oatmeal for Mommy's angel." Arizona said, securing her hold around Dani and proceeding to leave the room to walk down the stairs to the lower level of the house.

At the mention of oatmeal, Daniella giggled and jumped in Arizona's arms while she clapped her hands. Once down stairs, Arizona made her way through the living room and dining room and came to the kitchen. She sat Dani down in her highchair and went about preparing the small child breakfast. While she waited for the oatmeal to heat up, she quickly prepared a pot of coffee before walking to the double sliding doors of the kitchen and pushing the curtains back.

Bright, early morning, sun streamed into the room. Dani gasped and sighed and, again, clapped her hands.

"You like that?" Arizona asked, bending over in front of Daniella and playfully speaking to her.

Uncoordinated hands grabbed her face and the unsullied sound of a child's laughter added to the atmosphere. Arizona puffed her cheeks out and made a face which immediately caused her daughter to giggle and jump in her chair happily.

Stepping away briefly, the blonde completed the preparations for Daniella's oatmeal and walked over to take a seat at the kitchen table. She scooted close to the highchair and scooped up a small bite on the spoon. Holding it up towards Dani, she brought it to her open mouth and made silly sounds to accommodate her.

"Yum' and 'Hmm', or rather baby versions of the words, filled Arizona's ear and tugged at her heart. She loved feeding Daniella. There was something so beautiful and simple about feeding a child. It calmed her. She adored it.

Preparing another spoonful, she made an airplane sound and 'flew' the bite towards Daniella.

"You know, I think you're old enough to know certain things." she said, going through the motions of feeding her daughter.

"See, you have a very special older sister. She's not here. No, she's playing in the cabbage patch. You won't know about that place for a long, long, long time to come. But, your older sister is crazy about you. She's your guardian angel, baby girl. Even though you can't see her, she can see you. Mama C got to meet her when you were born. So, when you're sad or scared, just remember that your sister, Hannah, is always watching out for you. Okay? When you're a little bit older, we'll watch some home videos and I'll let you see her. You would have loved her, Dani bear..."

Arizona continued talking about Hannah to Daniella. Birds' songs sang on the wind and the sun bathed mother and daughter in an easy serenity. Life was about choices. It was about enjoying the journey and being open to new levels of discovery. Good things happened in life. Bad things happened in life.

The hardest part of life for most people was understanding that nothing good could come if nothing bad ever happened. People only knew something was good because they'd experienced something bad to begin with. The negative parts of life helped people to appreciate the positive parts.

_"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."_

**-Henry Ellis**

* * *

***** I can't thank everyone enough for the many awesome reviews and comments! I never imagined, when I started Control, that I would be writing a sequel so soon after. I never could have prepared myself for the reaction this story has gotten. You guys have been amazing! The friends I've made on this site have truly touched me. I've so enjoyed getting to know some of you guys and hearing your thoughts on my stories. When I set out to write this, I knew it would span for quite an impressive length of time. Apart from having Callie meet Hannah and changing a made up nurse to Dr. Lucy Fields, this story was thought out from day one. My biggest worry was that people would tire of the story before I could wrap everything up. lol! I'm so glad for the people who stuck by me throughout 46 chapters. I started this in September of 2010 and here we are, June of 2011, finally at the end together.**

**In regard to my previous post about this being my last story, I will state here for everyone, that I'm really hoping a break is all I need. Things affect me pretty deeply and my answer when situations get tough is to internalize and sort through my problems, issues, or hang ups. As I told majincammy, I have decided to leave this story open, just like I did with Control, for a possible sequel. I can't say how long I'll be gone or even if I'll be back. I'm sure, if the mood catches me and inspires me, that you all will be hearing from me again. Hey, maybe the next story will reach 50 chapters! ha!**

**Again, I can't thank everyone enough! You guys inflate my ego so much. I feel like a completely different person when I write. Believe you me, I lead the most boring life on the planet. There really is nothing special or spectacular about me. lol. Yet, when I write and create these stories and hear everyone's thoughts, I don't feel so average. So, thanks to you all again for allowing me to be someone different for a while!**

**Till next time!**

**-Krystal-**


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